Uzumaki: Detective Chronicles
by Kagyuubi
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto has become a detective! Set in a modern Konoha City, Naruto and his partner Hinata work together to solve crimes and catch criminals. However, dark forces are conspiring to ensure the truth remains hidden. Can the detective duo solve the crimes before it's too late?
1. Chapter One: The Innocent Killer

**Uzumaki ~ Detective Chronicles**

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><p>Chapter One: Case One - The Innocent Killer<p>

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><p><strong>Red Light Zone, Midnight<strong>

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><p>In a dark street on the seedier side of Konoha, two shadowy figures slowly materialized on either side of the street. One stood to the side of the road, bathed in the pink neon lighting emitting from the sign above a nearby strip club, while the other was standing in the centre of the street, gazing up at the moon from behind a black mask that covered their entire face.<p>

The pair started walking towards each other, their near identical black cloaks brushing lightly across the tarmac. They stopped when they were within 5 metres of each other.

"Do you have the money?" murmured the one with the mask. The voice was soft and gentle, obviously female, and edged with panic.

"..." The second person looked around before placing their hands in the ram seal. Chakra started emanating from their body, causing the cloak to flutter around on an invisible wind as it surged outward in a single pulse. The wave of chakra moved away from the caster in a rough dome shape, causing the last of the autumn leaves to fall from the trees and the neon tubes of the strip club sign to burst. "Just checking that you weren't followed." he said in a gravelly tone, the deep baritone voice revealing his gender.

"Please, tell me, do you have the money I asked for?" said the female, bringing her hands together in front of her chest in a vague begging motion. "It's very important that I get it tonight."

The male seemed to gaze at the woman with a look of pity before opening his mouth. "Unfortunately for you, my boss has decided that our money would be better spent investing in another business. She just doesn't feel that you will be able to repay the loan... no matter how lucrative your business may become."

The masked woman glanced down, disappointment evident in her slouched shoulders and sagging knees. The man started to turn and unnoticed by him, the woman reached into her cloak and withdrew three senbon needles.

"It was a pleasure doing busi-" was all he could say as a senbon lodged itself in his throat. He whirled around sluggishly, sliding a kunai from the folds of his cloak, when two more senbon pierced through his wrist and heart, causing him to drop the kunai and fall to his knees, making a pitiful attempt to staunch the bleeding from his throat and heart with one hand.

The woman moved closer to him cautiously as he coughed up blood, the dark red liquid reflecting the stars from the night sky as it spattered thickly on the ground below him. He struggled to look up as she came closer, fear widening his watery brown eyes, then the light left them and he fell to the ground, sprawled out in an almost comical manner. The masked woman seemed reluctant to look at her handiwork, instead glancing away quickly as her hand came up to her mouth, retching as she swiftly hurried away and faded into the darkness of a nearby alley.

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><p><strong>Uzumaki-Hyuga Detective Agency, Midmorning<strong>

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><p>Naruto Uzumaki was bored. He sat at his desk, slumped over onto the large, walnut brown table, watching the vent on the air conditioning unit move up and down, bringing the already cold room to sub zero temperatures; just the way he liked it. He sighed and slowly stood up, making his way over to the small kitchenette in the corner of the room. He reached under the counter to the shelf which held his beloved instant ramen cups, grabbed one and examined it.<p>

"Chicken again huh?" he sighed, then placed the cup on the counter with a glint of resolution in his bright blue eyes. "I haven't been to Ichiraku's in a while, and I'm in serious need of some miso ramen. Ayame-chan and Old man Teuchi must be missing me and my enormous appetite. Cause I sure as hell have been missing them!"

A grin lit up his face, and he turned towards the door to his office. _I know, I'll bring Hinata along with me! _His grin took on a more wicked edge as he thought of a new way to tease his insanely cute assistant.

_Making her blush is always fun, though I'll never understand why such simple teasing causes such a reaction with her._ "Ah well, it's more fun that way!" he chuckled to himself, stroking the whisker marks on his cheeks with his thumb and forefinger as his trademark foxy grin spread across his face.

"Hinata-chan! Do you mind stepping into my office for a minute?" he called, as he chakra walked up the wall next to the door and positioned himself on the ceiling in front of the door. He crossed his arms and stood there grinning, ready for the moment she opened the door.

At the front desk of the small building where she and Naruto worked, Hinata jumped and then blushed. "Naruto-kun is calling to me," she murmured to herself "I didn't forget to file the last case report did I? Or is he unhappy with me for something else? Was it that I didn't make him ramen today? What could I have done?" by this point Hinata was absolutely flustered as she slowly made her way to her bosses' office.

She knocked on the door, and opened it slowly. She entered the office to find... No one. She looked around in confusion. "N-Naruto-kun?"

Suddenly a figure dropped from the roof, and hung upside down, their face nose to nose with hers. "Hey Hinata-chan," said Naruto seductively "How 'bout you and me go out on a date?"

Hinata's cheeks reached that full bright redness that Naruto found so cute and she stuttered "N-N-N-Naruto-k-kun..." She managed to utter. _He's so close, this is... Oh what do I do? Do I say yes? Quick Hinata, if you take too long, he might change his mind!_

"I-I w-would l-l-lo..." at the word 'love' her embarrassment was at its limit and all the blood in her body was in her face. Her brain shut down as her pale lavender eyes rolled back into her head and she started to fall backwards.

"Oops." Naruto sighed before he jumped down from the ceiling and caught Hinata before she hit the ground. He glanced at her still flushed face and sweat dropped. "Ah heh heh, maybe I went a bit too far there."

He sighed again and moved to place Hinata in what was now named the 'recovery couch'.

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><p><strong>Red light Zone, Midmorning<strong>

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><p>Officer Haruno Sakura of the 7th Precinct, Konoha City Police Department was stumped. She stood on the other side of the yellow 'Do Not Cross - Crime Scene' tape gazing down at the body sprawled in the middle of the road. The corpse was lying in a pool of blood that had half dried, staining the road a dark crimson. She took off her blue officers' hat and ran her fingers though her pink hair.<p>

Her partner Officer Nara Shikamaru slowly made his way up to her from the coroners van sighing and stretching while gazing at the cloudless sky above him. "This day is such a drag, there's not a single cloud in the sky."

"Good, that might keep you focused on the murdered man over there." replied Sakura. "Anyway, what have you got for me? Do we know who he is or why he's here in Konoha's red light zone? Apart from the obvious reasons of course." she quickly added after seeing Shikamaru smirk and open his mouth.

"Well," said Shikamaru in a bored drawl. "Meet Hideto Ryuuji, a man who used to be Takami Sayu's right hand man. Frankly I find it strange that she would send her main man down here to what was most likely a meeting with a client."

"Yes," said Sakura, "That is strange, however, whoever he was meeting must not have liked what he proposed for us to find him like this." she sighed. "This isn't going to be easy is it? We've already got five more men and women killed in the same manner as him. And all of them were the agents of Konoha cities' biggest crime lord."

Shikamaru glanced at her thoughtfully. "Either this is the work of some vigilante trying to bring a very misguided justice to the streets of Konoha or someone is systematically killing off the major players to assert themselves as the leader of organized crime."

Sakura placed her cap back on her head and struck a determined pose. "Whatever the reason, no serial killer will get away with murder while Officer Haruno Sakura is on the case! Shannaro!" she yelled pumping her fist in the air.

The officers and paramedics around her smiled or rolled their eyes as she made her usual dramatic statement.

"Right Shikamaru?" she said, looking around for the lazy genius. She scowled as she spotted him lying on the bonnet of her squad car, arms behind his head as he gazed at the sky without a care in the world. He sighed and sat up, feeling the killer intent emanating from his partner.

"Women, so troublesome," he muttered softly, wary of Sakura's famous 100m punches.

Sakura shook her head and sighed. "Well, this case is shaping up to be a difficult one. I think it's high time we called _him_ in."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement. "Oh yes, this kind of case is right up his alley. I just hope he'll take some of the credit this time, it's embarrassing to be shown up by him and then steal his lime light afterwards."

"Hmm yes, Nar... I mean _Detective_ Uzumaki is funny like that."

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><p><strong>Ichiraku Ramen, Noon<strong>

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><p>The detective in questions was currently walking down the main streets of Konoha City, heading to his favourite restaurant hand in hand with the girl whose love for him was a fact he was completely oblivious to.<p>

"Hinata-chan," said Naruto, gazing straight ahead with a glazed look in his eyes.

"Y-yes Naruto-kun?" It had taken quite a while for Naruto to convince her that using the -kun suffix in place of -san with his name was fine during the early days of their partnership.

"Do you think a guy like me could ever find love?" He turned his cerulean eyes to her pale lavender ones, gazing intently as he waited for her answer.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata blushed profusely. "You ask very strange questions."

She squeezed his hand gently. _Oh Naruto-kun, if only you knew... If only I had the strength to tell you how... How I really feel... You would know the answer._

Her train of though was broken as she felt pressure around her own hand in return. She held his gaze, seeing the usually well hidden emotions laid bare for all to see in his eyes, eyes that desperately wanted an answer to the question that had plagued him since his lonely childhood.

She sighed, knowing that he could see the same question reflected in her own eyes. She probably knew him better than anyone else and Naruto knew what she had gone through as well. Naruto had been the one that had saved her from her family in the first place.

Her long, dark indigo hair whipped into her eyes as the breeze around them intensified. Somewhere during her moment of reflection, they had stopped walking, the blonde waiting expectantly for an answer.

"Naruto-kun, whatever happens, you'll always have me." she replied simply, with no trace of her stutter.

Gratitude seeped into his eyes as he tugged on her hand gently, pulling her forwards as he resumed walking.

"Thanks Hinata-chan."

They reached Ichiraku's without further delay and were given a _very_ warm welcome. As Naruto pushed the curtains aside and led the way inside, still holding Hinata's hand, a shadowy figure jumped him.

"Naruto-kun!" screamed an excited Ayame, wrapping Naruto in a warm hug. "Where have you been all this time? We haven't seen you in_ ages_!"

Naruto grinned and returned the hug, his arms enfolding around her waist, equally happy to see one of his most favourite people. From behind the counter, Teuchi smile and nodded at Naruto, the true happiness of seeing his favourite customer evident in his wide grin and shining eyes. He immediately began pulling out the ingredients for Naruto's usual five bowls of Miso Ramen whistling a cheerful tune as he worked.

Ayame glanced over Naruto's shoulder and spotted Hinata, who had been standing by the entrance watching the display with a small smile, happy that Naruto had other people in his life that cared for him as much as she did.

Ayame smiled brightly at her and release Naruto, grabbing Hinata's hand and leading her to a stool. "Hinata, it's been too long! What have you been up to?" she adopted a stern look and placed her hands on her hips. "You haven't been working Naruto so hard that he's had no time to come see us have you?"

"N-no! I would never do that to N-Naruto-kun. I-I-" Hinata struggled to speak, becoming more flustered by the minute.

Ayame chuckled. "Still as cute ever." she said, patting Hinata's back reassuringly. She led Hinata to the stool next to Narutos'. "So what will you have Hinata?"

"One bowl of miso please."

"Naruto," said Teuchi from the small kitchen next to the counter. "I heard about your last case with the Hokage's stolen crystal ball. I must say, it's impressive how you deduced that it was one of the guards that stood outside the office, how did you know it was him?"

"Well," said Naruto, getting ready to tell his story, with a few exaggerations. "Thanks to my amazing ability to read people, I immediately knew it was the guard, however I pretended not to know to lull him into a false sense of security and..."

As Naruto regaled those present with the tale of his capture of the renegade guard, with accompanying wild hand gestures, Ayame, Teuchi and Hinata listened and laughed, enjoying Naruto's self-indulgent but fairly accurate story telling skills.

"...but really without Hinata-chan, I don't think the case would have been solved." Said Naruto, patting his partner on the shoulder.

Hinata blushed a deep crimson at his praise and started pressing her index fingers together. "I didn't do that much Naruto-kun, I..."

"Nonsense! Without your Byakugan we never would have found where the guard was hiding and where he threw the crystal after his capture. You're the reason the case was solved! Well done partner!"

Naruto clasped her hand warmly and smiled that wide foxy grin she loved so much. Ayame and Teuchi were also congratulating her but she had eyes for only one person.

_Thank you, Naruto-kun._

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><p><strong>Konoha City Main Street, Noon<strong>

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><p>Haruno Sakura and her partner Nara Shikamaru were strolling down Main Street at a brisk pace, their eyes set on a familiar old road side stand.<p>

"It's lunch time. Where do you think Naruto could be?" asked their head of precinct, Yasuki Fumito. The man had answered his communicator grudgingly, having been roused from the middle of his post lunch nap for the call.

Sakura answered without hesitation. "Ichiraku's."

"Fine, you can bring him on-board the investigative team. Good luck Haruno." He hung up abruptly.

Sakura glanced over at Shikamaru as she placed the communicator back on the small clip on her waist. "Looks like we interrupted the boss during nap time. He didn't sound happy."

Shikamaru smirked. "He's got the right idea..." he trailed off nervously as Sakura glared at him, and then walked off. "Women," he muttered. "So troublesome."

Sakura and Shikamaru drew up in front of the small ramen stand. From under the curtain, they could spot the familiar orange pants of their hyperactive blonde friend seated at the counter, a baggier, dark blue set of leggings on the seat next to his. Despite the situation, Sakura could feel a smile inching on to her lips. She was seeing Naruto after quite a while and, she had to admit, had sorely missed his infectious good humour. Unfortunately their jobs left them little time to catch up with the other.

Sakura often offered Naruto a position as an official detective with the Konoha City Police force, but seeing as they would not accept Hinata, who had not had any formal training except from what Naruto had taught her, he decided firmly that he would not abandon his partner.

_Another one of the traits that make Naruto such a great friend, he's loyal to a fault _she quietly reflected as she pushed aside the curtains and made her way inside.

"... And that's how we, the amazing detective team of Hyuga and Uzumaki, solved the case and put an end to Kabuto's serial killing spree! The police were absolutely stumped 'till we came in! What would they do without us?"

A vein twitched on Sakura's forehead. She reached forward and knocked the blonde detective into his recently emptied ramen bowl with a well-aimed punch. "Hey!" shouted Naruto, his voice muffled by the bowl. He sat up with the bowl still on his face and 'looked' at where the punch had come from. 'Who did that? What gives?"

Sakura found herself control slipping away from her, no matter how hard she tried to maintain it. The sight of Naruto glancing around in anger with the bowl wedged tightly to his face was one of the funniest things she'd seen all week. She started giggling and Naruto froze.

Shikamaru ducked under the curtains to see what all the ruckus was about and snorted, an amused smirk playing about his lips. Naruto scratched at the back of his head sheepishly as he recognized the sounds of his friend's laughter at his expense. Even Hinata was struggling to keep a straight face, trying hard not to giggle at the sight her poor Naruto-kun had become.

Sakura reached forward, an amused smile gracing her features as she gently prized the bowl off Naruto's face. Slowly, the impossibly wide grin was revealed and as soon as the bowl was clear of his face, Naruto leapt at Sakura, enfolding her in a firm but gentle hug.

She returned it with a smile, then put her hands on his shoulders and held him at arm's length. "Naruto, it's time to get to work. We have a case we'd like yours and Hinata's help in..."

"But Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, pouting childishly. "I haven't seen you in _ages_! We have to chat and catch up with each other!" he sat back on the stool, crossed his arms in front of his chest and turned his face away in mock stubbornness. Hinata smiled at her partners' antics.

_He really does act quite silly around Sakura. But that what makes Naruto-kun so cute, he's still in touch with that confident inner child I fell in love with._

"Later, after you help us solve this case," said Sakura, quickly falling into her all business demeanour. "After all, what would we do without Detective Uzumaki to solve the cases that leave us common police officers scratching their heads?"

Naruto scratched the back of his own head and looked down, grinning an apologetic grin. "I didn't mean it quite like that..." Naruto then looked Sakura in the eye determinedly, blue eyes piercing into green. The air of confidence that surrounded him seemed to intensify. He leaned forward. "So, tell me, who's dead?

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><p><strong>7th Precinct Headquarters Mortuary, Afternoon<strong>

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><p>Naruto, Hinata, Sakura and Shikamaru stood around a small stainless steel table. Harsh white lights shone down on a body covered by a clean white cloth. Sakura nodded to the medical examiner, who adjusted her glasses and leant over to pull the cloth down.<p>

Naruto gazed at the face before nodding to Hinata, who activated her Byakugan. "Male, mid-thirties, 5 ft. 2', name Hideto Ryuuji." he murmured, scribbling into an orange notebook he pulled out from his waist pouch.

Sakura started. "How did you know his name?"

Naruto mumbled an answer while writing, not taking his eyes off the notebook. "Met him when I when I… Uh… Went undercover in one of Takami Sayu's operations during a case."

Sakura was curious, and looked ready to ask more questions when Hinata piped up, cutting through, and effectively ending their conversation. The pinkette made a point to mentally file away the questions for another time.

"Cause of death: severed jugular vein and puncturing of the heart by multiple senbon. Time of death: level of rigor mortis and faint tint of cloudiness in the eyes indicate the victim died around 11:30pm to 12:30am." Hinata whispered to Naruto, slowly so he could get the information down in his notebook.

Sakura watched from the other side of the bench, clearly impressed. It never ceased to amaze her how good the pair were at their job. Shikamaru was glancing around the room, trying hard to mask his awe with an air of indifference.

The two officers jumped when Naruto snapped his notebook shut. "Well, that seems to be all we can get from here. Is there anything else we need to know?"

Hinata moved over to the coroners' desk and sat down quietly, relaxing as the Byakugan faded from her eyes, the veins sinking back below the skin.

Sakura ran her fingers through her hair. "Yes, but all the necessary files have been sent to your office. Hideto is just one more in a recent string of murders of Takami Sayu's henchmen. All were killed the same way; one senbon to disarm, and two more to kill."

Naruto looked thoughtful. "May I see the senbon?"

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><p><strong>7th Precinct Headquarters Evidence Lockup, Afternoon<strong>

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><p>Sakura handed the sealed evidence bag to Hinata, who held it up to the light. "These senbon are an odd colour." She remarked. Naruto pulled out his orange notebook and scribbled down a quick description.<p>

The senbon were a light yellow-brown in colour and rather delicate; it took Naruto very little effort to snap a small piece off the end of one of the senbon through the bag.

"Naruto! Don't destroy the evidence!" said Sakura sternly, but stopped when Shikamaru placed a placating hand on her arm.

"Just let the man work, he hardly does anything for no reason... When on the job." Shikamaru quickly amended when Sakura stared at him incredulously. She sighed in defeat, and handed a few more bags over to Naruto.

"Here are the senbon from the other victims. You find they are of the same type and brand, whatever brand this may be; we've yet to identify it. We do know however that chakra has been moulded into them while they were being made, making it easier for them to penetrate the target."

"Most senbon have some form of label or marking from the maker." Naruto said, gazing off into the distance. Those who were present knew this was one of his moments of insight, and everyone knew not to interrupt him during this time. His eyes, glazed over as he thought, quickly refocused as they locked onto Sakura's. "Do you have any I could take with me? Preferably one that did not enter a victim's body. I have a few tests to run."

"And what tests might those be?" Shikamaru piped up. "Never mind, you're not going to tell us now are you?"

Naruto grinned. "Nope."

Sakura reached into the box which held the few scraps of evidence from the case. She sighed and handed him a bag with a single shattered senbon. "This was a senbon from the first of the murders. We found it on the ground from where we calculated the killer stood. This one appears to have been dropped as three more of these senbon were found in the victim. Shikamaru here was the genius who stepped on it, compromising any potential fingerprints."

"Just one slip up and she doesn't let it go, nagging me about it at every turn. It's such a drag." murmured Shikamaru to Naruto, moving closer to him; mindful of Sakura's vengeance.

Naruto chuckled. "Well if that's all, Hinata-chan and I will head back to the office. It was nice seeing you again, you two."

"We'll catch up later, after the case is solved." Sakura promised.

Naruto looked at his long-time friend and crush. The crush had simmered down as they got older, but he still felt a twinge in his gut whenever he saw those beautiful jade eyes and bubble-gum pink locks.

He smiled softly. "I'd like that, Sakura-chan."

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><p><strong>Uzumaki-Hyuga Detective Agency, Evening<strong>

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><p>Hinata knocked on the door to Naruto's office and upon hearing "Come in!" quietly opened the door, shifting the massive pile of folders in her arms to one hand. Naruto looked up as she entered and quickly jumped up to help her with her load.<p>

"Hinata-chan, you know you don't have to knock right?"

"I'm sorry. I'll remember next time Naruto-kun." she looked down at her feet, pressing her index fingers together in her usual nervous tic.

Naruto smiled sadly. However hard he tried, he just couldn't get her level of self-confidence to rise. Granted, she had come a long way since they first teamed up, but there was still room for improvement.

He placed the files on his desk and quickly gave Hinata one of his surprise hugs. As expected, when he let go, Hinata was blushing and smiling. _It's nice to know a simple hug still means so much_ he thought.

Plastering his trademark grin on his face, he leant forward, his face inches from hers. "So are you ready to catch a killer?

Hinata smiled and nodded. "L-let's do it Naruto-kun!"

They both turned to massive stack of files that Sakura had sent on the case and prepared for a long night of reading.

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><p><strong>Takami Mansion, Night<strong>

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><p>Takami Sayu was not having a good day. She had just received the news that Hideto Ryuuji, her Sargent-at-Arms had been killed the night before, in the same fashion as her other subordinates. She slammed her fist on the desk, frustration pouring from her hazel eyes and taut shoulders. One of her men, a woman in fact, materialized in front her desk and bowed respectfully. She was dressed in dark blue, with a blood red scarf wrapped loosely around her neck. An X shaped sheath on her back held twin katana blades while a belt at her waist held two wakizashi. As she bowed, her scarf lightly brushed against the cream coloured carpet.<p>

"Milady."

"What is it, Saeko?"

"I have the police report on the death of Hideto. He was killed in the same way as the others. Three senbon were used, one to disarm and two to kill."

"As I suspected. Saeko, I'm making it your mission to locate the killer."

Saeko bowed her head, her twin katana gleaming in the low lamplight like burnished bronze. Sayu always kept the lighting low in her chambers, it helped her concentrate, she would say. "If you please Milady, there is more. The police have approached Detective Uzumaki and he has agreed to collaborate with them on their investigation."

Sayu's face lit up for the first time in days. "Is he now? That is good news for us. With him on the case, the bastard who's hunting my men will be brought to justice. Saeko, your mission parameters have changed. When Uzumaki Naruto comes here tomorrow, I want you to assist him with his investigation. However, you will not make your presence known to the police, is that clear?"

Saeko straightened. "Yes Milady, but how do you know he will come?"

"My men are being killed. Unlike the police, Uzumaki-san is smart. He'll know to question me first is the only way to begin the investigation. You are dismissed."

"Yes Milady." Saeko vanished, leaving the spacious room feeling empty and quiet yet again. Sayu stood up from her chair and moved towards the large bay windows overlooking the city of Konoha. Her long, maroon, off the shoulder dress hung elegantly off her lean frame.

Sayu stroked her long cocoa brown hair thoughtfully as she gazed at the city lights. The city was vibrant and alive, the young men and women of the night were slowly appearing like moths to the flame, ready to indulge in another night of revelry. She stared at her reflection in the glass, wondering, not for the last time, as to the level of stupidity the killer possessed to think they could go around Takami Sayu's organization, killing whoever they please.

"Detective Uzumaki Naruto, with you on the case, things are sure to be interesting. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow. But do you remember the debt you owe me? You gave me your word, and I'll hold you to it on your honour. I think the time has come for me to collect, to make good on that promise."

Sayu turned away from the floor to ceiling panes of glass, and strode purposefully to the door of her office. _It's been a few years since we last spoke._ _I must be ready for Uzumaki-san's arrival. Prepare yourself, Detective._


	2. Chapter Two: The Innocent Killer

**Uzumaki ~ Detective Chronicles**

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><p>Chapter Two: Case One - The Innocent Killer<p>

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><p><strong>Hyuga Hinata's Apartment Building, Early Morning<strong>

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><p>Uzumaki Naruto whistled softly as he scaled the creaky wooden stairs that led to Hyuga Hinata's apartment. After nearly three years of walking through the corridors that led to her place every morning, locating her apartment was second nature to him. He stopped in front of the door to Apartment 301, and knocked, rapping out a simple cheery beat on the worn wood.<p>

Not a minute later, Hinata slowly opened the door an inch, peering nervously at the visitor. When she ascertained that her blonde partner was outside her door, she opened it fully, stepped over the threshold while smiling softly at him and turned to lock the door.

Naruto expression changed to one of sadness as she twisted the key in the lock. Even after three years away from her family, mainly her father, she was still nervous that Hyuga Hiashi would come to take her back home.

About three years ago, when Naruto was just starting out as a detective, having helped the police (mainly Sakura) in locating an art thief's' stash, Naruto had asked Sakura to drop him off at the Hyuga compound to ask Neji to join him in his recently started Detective Agency. Having a partner with the ability to use the Byakugan would be handy during investigations - mainly for interviews and searches.

As he was welcomed inside by a branch member of the clan and was shown to the visitors lounge, sounds of sobbing led him through the open air corridors to the back of the compound. As he entered what could only be described as a private botanical garden, the pride and joy of Hinata's late mother, he found Hinata herself, lying curled up outside on the back porch. A faint, hand shaped bruise was starting to form on her cheek and she was crying, clutching a gold heart shaped locket to her chest.

Naruto had quickly snatched her up and whisked her away to his apartment, worried that one of his precious people was in danger. Hinata had always been exceptionally kind to him, sharing her lunch with him when he forgot his own and giving him various healing ointments to use on his cuts and bruises acquired through training during his brief stint at the Police Academy.

In the morning, the two promptly sought the counsel of the Godaime Hokage. Tsunade had ordered that Hyuga Hinata be removed from the Hyuga compound to prevent further instances of domestic violence, and would only return as she herself saw fit, or was required to when the time came to take over as head of the Hyuga clan.

But Hinata was adamant in saying she would never go back, going so far as to scream it at the Hokage. Her desperate, distraught cry shocked both Tsunade and Naruto, who had never heard her shout before. Feeling Hinata's cry for help wrenching at his own wounded heart, Naruto quickly enveloped her in a hug, calming her down with soothing words while lightly stroking her dark indigo hair.

Hinata, who had been taken aback by the hug, was struck speechless when Naruto offered her a job as his assistant/partner at his Detective Agency. All she could do was nod, and watch as Naruto's trademark foxy grin spread across his face. And she could not help but be swept along by his enthusiasm, returning his grin with a shy smile of her own.

Later that day, they found her an apartment she liked (that charged a reasonable amount of rent for what it offered), and from that day on, she was Uzumaki Naruto's partner and one of his closest friends.

Naruto snapped back to the present as Hinata slipped her keys into her pocket. He then assumed a formal, gentlemanly demeanour and proffered his arm to her. Giggling softly, Hinata entwined her arm in his, gently leaning into him as they made their way out of the building.

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><p><strong>Uzumaki-Hyuga Detective Agency, Midmorning<strong>

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><p>Uzumaki Naruto was pacing around his office. Hinata was out on a quick errand (they were out of instant ramen cups), and he was anxious to tell her about the tests he had run on the senbon while she was gone. Completely devoting all his attention to the new developments, often not an easy task for the hyperactive knucklehead, he did not notice as he stepped up onto the wall of his office and continued walking, unconsciously diverting chakra to his feet to grip onto the smooth, vertical surface.<p>

He continued onto the ceiling, where he stopped, adhering himself to the roof as he stroked his whisker marks with his thumb and forefinger, pondering the meaning of the new information.

Outside the office, Hinata was screwing up the courage to walk into the room without knocking, her natural sense of politeness clashing with what Naruto had told her to do. Taking a deep breath, one hand tightly clutching a plastic bag filled with cups of instant ramen and shaking with nervousness, she reached forward and took hold of the handle _without knocking first_.

Feeling a little more confident, she twisted the handle and swung the door open swiftly, clobbering poor Naruto with a solid thwack. He yelped in pain as he was knocked clean off the ceiling and sent sprawling to the patch of floor in front of his desk. Naruto landed on his front face first, rear in the air and groaned in agony.

Hinata stood in the doorway; hand still on the door handle, her mouth agape with shock. She mentally swore on her Nindo, her ninja way, to never again open a door without knocking as she dropped the bag of instant ramen cups and ran to Naruto's side.

She rolled Naruto over on his back and hoisted his head gently into her lap. She checked for any obvious signs of injury, but there appeared to be none. However, the expression on Naruto's face was more than enough to instil a strong sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. Hinata started to channel chakra to her eyes, ready to examine him with the Byakugan, when he slowly opened his mouth, trying desperately to form words, despite the immense pain he seemed to be in. She froze, eyeing him intently.

"Hinata-chan..."

"Y-yes, N-Naruto-kun?"

His eyes, his beautiful, cerulean eyes, were trying hard to remain focused on her face. "Come closer..."

Hinata leaned in, nervously quelling the urge to apologize over and over again in fear of missing whatever he had to say.

Naruto's eyes closed, and tears formed in Hinata's. "I... I need..."

The tears were coursing down her cheeks, running down her face and dripping onto Naruto's whisker-marked cheek. _Oh Kami, what will I ever do without my Naruto-kun? He's the reason for my existence! If he's not with me in this world, I'll... I'll... _"W-what do you n-need, Naruto-kun?"

His eyes shot open, making her jump. "Ramen!" he said cheerily, his wide grin plastered on his face. Hinata's eyes widened in shock, then rolled back into her head as she fainted dead away. She toppled backwards and landed on the fluffy carpet with a muffled thump.

Not once throughout the ridiculously over dramatic performance did it occur to her that Naruto was pulling her leg.

Naruto sat up quickly as she fainted and sighed. "I went a bit too far again, didn't I?" He glanced over at Hinata's prone form, nestled in the soft carpet. He smiled fondly. Hinata looked so cute when she was asleep... Or passed out. She even had a faint blush clinging to her cheeks, making her look all the more adorable.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. He really needed to stop making Hinata faint like that. For the second time that week, he picked her up bridal style and placed her on her 'recovery couch'.

Naruto noticed the door to his office was still open. He was proud of Hinata for what she achieved today. "Though I've probably wrecked it for her with that stunt..." he sighed again. As his hand closed upon the door handle, his foot nudged against something that rustled. Glancing down, his bemused expression was quickly replaced by a massive, childish grin of glee.

"Ramen!"

* * *

><p><strong>7th Precinct Headquarters, Midmorning<strong>

* * *

><p>Officer Haruno Sakura sat at her desk, filing away the paperwork that would allow Detective Uzumaki Naruto and his assistant to join the investigation. She sighed wearily, propping her elbows up on the desk, resting her head in her hands and knotting her fingers into her soft pink hair. She'd had a rough morning. Her boss, Yasuki Fumito, had chewed her out the minute she walked in that morning for giving away crucial evidence to a private detective without filling out the proper forms.<p>

The man was a stickler for proper procedure, and always knew when someone had not followed the guidelines, no, the _rules_, that he so carefully laid out. The rather plump man would spend an hour or so every month reviewing them during staff meetings. Yasuki, through some form of supernatural ability, could even detect slip ups when he was taking his post lunch nap, dealing with them harshly once he woke.

Sakura emptied her mind of all thought. Trying to figure out his freaky rule-breaker detecting mind magic, this early in the morning, would only succeed in adding to her painfully throbbing headache. The quiet, early morning murmur of the other officers engaging in conversation or typing away at their computers filled her ears. She shut it all out and closed her eyes tightly. Suddenly, the smell of a freshly made vanilla latte wafted by her nose. She looked up, spotting Shikamaru in the seat next to her desk, holding out the Styrofoam cup responsible for the heavenly smell while sipping at his own cup of black coffee.

Sakura accepted it gratefully with a nod of thanks, sipping at the hot liquid as she glanced expectantly at her communicator. She had left a two way communicator with Naruto when she'd had the files delivered to his office, so that they could swap information or go to the others aide at a moment's notice.

Shikamaru noticed the glance. "You know he won't call until he's sure he has solid evidence to share with you. There's no point in getting worked up."

"I'm not getting worked up! I just... Wanted to talk to him again." she blushed. A slight frown formed on her brow as she felt her cheeks heat up. Why was she blushing?

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. Sakura seemed to realize how what she'd said sounded like to him and quickly corrected herself. "I mean, it's been so long since I've seen him. He's one of my best friends and we never see each other anymore." Shikamaru nodded, his lips set in a slight smirk. As he opened his mouth to say something, the communicator buzzed.

Sakura clapped her hand to his mouth as she answered the call. "Officer Haruno Sakura speaking... No, I have not seen a black cat with a red bow. Yes I'm quite sure. No, I don't want to double check. I can assure you, I have not seen 'Tora'. I think you have the wrong number, good day ma'am." She slammed the communicator down on the table.

She looked at Shikamaru's quizzical expression and shook her head, sighing. "Don't ask."

* * *

><p><strong>Uzumaki-Hyuga Detective Agency, Noon<strong>

* * *

><p>After nearly 15 minutes, Hinata finally stirred. Pale lavender eyes slowly opened and focused on the smooth white surface of the roof. She tilted her head forward and, as expected, saw her blonde partner seated next to her on the 'recovery couch' in his usual spot, watching her with an unusually sombre expression. She started to sit up and Naruto was quick to give her helping hand, grasping her arm gently as he pulled her up, treating her like she was made of glass. Which in fact she was, emotionally at least.<p>

Naruto seemed to be thinking of the best way to phrase what he had to say. Then he began. "Hinata, I'm sorry for playing that prank on you earlier. I realized a little too late that jokes about me dying are not... Tasteful... When it comes to you."

"Naruto..."

"You rely on me for strength, I know that, and if I wasn't around... Well, I don't want to think about what you might do. So I'm really, really sorry. When I see one of my precious people get hurt, I hurt as well, and when it's me doing the hurting, it's... Words can't describe the feeling. Do you forgive me?"

He looked at her, his simply worded apology further deepened by the regret that filled his deep blue eyes. Hinata couldn't, even if she wanted to, say no to such a heart filled, honest speech like that. _Naruto always seems knows what to say, and when he doesn't, he says what's in his heart. So open... So caring... I really am very lucky he found me when came to visit Neji that day._

Hinata focused on his eyes, eyes that were dull with sadness. "Naruto, I forgive you. How could I not? You are my closest friend and I... And every day with you is like a dream, the best dream anyone could ever have."

Naruto grinned, the lustrous sparkle returning to his eyes as the weight on his heart lifted, leaving him feeling light and relieved.

Hinata stood up from the couch and assumed a mock disapproving manner. "But I don't want you to try anything like that ever again. Have I made myself clear?" she said in an exaggerated commanding voice.

Naruto's grin widened and he stood up to his full height, looking down at Hinata with his hand raised to his head in a salute. "Yes sir! Ma'am! Hinata-sama!" he yelled, a mischievous glint in his bright blue eyes.

Not wanting to delay any further, Naruto grabbed her by the hand and led her out of his office and into the small room next door, which served as the evidence storeroom and case file archive of their small agency. Against one wall stood a white board, a timeline of all five victims already drawn on with the times and relevant facts about their deaths scribbled in Naruto's nearly unintelligible scrawl. On the other side of the room, several large metal filing cabinets seemed dangerously close to bursting, filled with the cases files and evidence of investigations past.

Naruto tugged Hinata over to the desk he had been working at while she recovered. Hinata glanced curiously at the items laid out on the table top. A still steaming, half eaten cup of instant ramen stood next to an open packet of uncooked ramen noodles. Beside them sat the evidence bags holding the mystery senbon and a scroll on moulding chakra into inanimate objects. Finally, a small takeaway plate holding a cinnamon roll and a small cup of zenzai (sweet red bean soup) sat on top of a small pile of books on senbon.

Naruto picked up the plate and handed it to Hinata; she nodded her thanks and immediately dug in. Her favourite food was wolfed down in seconds and she set the plate down, directing all her attention to Naruto. "So what did you find?"

"Well," he said, assuming a stance akin to that of a sensei addressing his students. "I was puzzling over the senbon, trying to figure out what they were made of when..."

Hinata leaned forward. "When?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I uh, got hungry and chakra hopped down to Ichiraku's for a bowl of miso."

Hinata giggled, hiding her grin behind the back of her hand. Naruto grinned and continued. "So while I sat there, chatting with Ayame-chan, I noticed Old man Teuchi opening one of these," he motioned to the packet of noodles. "A light bulb in my head lit up as I saw them and I asked him if I could take the packet with me."

Naruto held out the ramen noodle packet and the evidence bag with the broken senbon to Hinata. She accepted them with a confused looked upon her face. He motioned for her to examine the two items.

"Notice anything about them?"

Hinata saw it almost immediately. The thick, dry noodles and the senbon were almost exactly the same colour and size.

"Now I tasted both, they're nearly the same." Hinata gasped, gazing at him with horror.

"B-but, this senbon was used to kill someone! It hasn't even been cleaned! We need to get you to a hospital!"

Naruto raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Remember Hinata? I asked Sakura for a senbon that hadn't been found in a body. This was the one Shikamaru stepped on," he face changed into a mock hurt expression. "And I washed the bit I ate, I'm not that unhygienic!"

Hinata blushed. Naruto smirked and continued. "Now this," He picked up the scroll on chakra moulding. "Was very helpful in figuring out that these senbon, uh, noodles, are homemade. Chakra can only be moulded into a weapon material when it is in a soft state, in this case the raw noodle batter before it hardens." He leaned back against the desk, shovelling down the rest of his instant ramen like it was the last one in Konoha City.

Hinata nodded her understanding as she placed the packet of noodles and the evidence bag back on the table. "So the killer used senbon made of ramen? That's very... Unique."

"It's brilliant!" Naruto exclaimed, tossing the now empty cup and plastic chopsticks into the wastebasket. "It's these sorts of cases which are so interesting! How many killers do you know who actually put effort into doing something different? They could've gone with the usual kunai to the back, but no, they really thought about how to make their crime unique!"

A childish sense of exuberance flowed out of him, and it was infectious, Hinata noted, as she once again found herself smiling along with Naruto.

Naruto's expression became serious. Hinata herself sobered up as the energy in the room seemed to change to the feeling of impending danger. "I have to go speak to Takami Sayu now, to see if she has any information for me. I'll be back soon, an hour at the most." he added quickly, as Hinata opened her mouth to protest. "It's probably for the best if you sit this one out, I'll tell you about it when I get back. Sayu can be a bit unpredictable, and I'll need to stay sharp till I know if she had any involvement in the murders or if she's on our side. I know you're very capable and can look after yourself but it'll be one less distraction for me if you don't tag along, just this once."

Hinata nodded and looked down dejectedly. She had long since accepted that Naruto had seen and experienced many unusual things during his life and on his three year training trip with a certain perverted, washed up detective turned adult novelist. Hinata shuddered at the thought of what Jiraiya might have subjected Naruto to during his training, despite the amazing results that it produced.

Naruto smiled gently, thinking she was worried for his safety. He ruffled her dark indigo hair, the long, straight hair soft and silky between his fingers. She looked up and he gave her his trademark foxy grin while flashing her a thumbs up. "No need to worry Hinata-chan! No one can bring Detective Uzumaki down, believe it!"

She smiled as he loudly stated his old catchphrase. Uzumaki Naruto was confident, strong and the sort of person one would put their faith in without reservation. He had some sort of mysterious power, one that makes people trust and believe in him. And Naruto would never betray that trust.

She nodded her acceptance of his decision. She believed his words without a doubt.

* * *

><p><strong>Takami Mansion, Night<strong>

* * *

><p>Detective Uzumaki Naruto stood outside the tall iron gates that separated the Takami Mansion from the rest of city's inhabitants. The night was cold, and he was grateful for his ever present orange jacket. Despite what many of his friends said about it, his orange jumpsuit was one of the few things he would never part with. The brightly coloured clothing was a representation of how he was inside - warm and cheerful. But the black material across his shoulders were like a reminder that even someone like him had a dark history, a sad past, exposing to the world that he was human; not as indestructible and sure of himself as many liked to think.<p>

But people like Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan depended on him for his strength, and he was determined to not let his precious people down. His train of thought was disrupted as the iron gates opened without warning, not a creak to be heard from its well-oiled hinges. He stepped inside and started walking up the white pebble driveway. The white stones crunched softly beneath his feet, and a quiet clang from behind told him the gates had closed, sealing his fate. He gulped, and nervously straightened his jacket, making any subtle effort to fix up his unruly appearance.

Takami Sayu stood at her floor to ceiling bay windows, and watched as Detective Uzumaki made his way up the white stone driveway to the front door. She watched his futile attempts to tame his stubborn mop of hair, chuckling softly when the blonde gave up in irritation, his hair even more messy than before.

A look of surprise crossed her face. It had been awhile since she had laughed out loud at, well anything really. And here was Uzumaki Naruto, pulling it off without even trying, or being aware of it. A knocking sound shook her from her reverie, and the sound of the large oak door being pulled open told her that Uzumaki Naruto had entered her home. _It's been quite a few years, Naruto. I wonder how much you've changed._

A slight sound behind her told her that Saeko had appeared in the middle of the room. Sayu continued to watch the bright lights of Konoha City while motioning for Saeko to speak with a wave of her hand. She watched the reflection in the pristine glass as Saeko knelt down to one knee in a respectful bow.

"Takami-sama, Detective Uzumaki has arrived. Will you see him now, Milady?"

Sayu nodded her approval. "Yes. Send him up now, but do not speak to him. I wish to gauge his initial reactions to the changes that I have undoubtedly undergone over the past years. Then I shall introduce you to him and what I have planned for you."

Saeko bowed her head before standing; her weapons clinked softly as she brought her right hand up in front of her face in a one handed ram seal. "As you wish, Milady." Saeko molded the necessary amount of chakra and vanished...

...Appearing right in front of Naruto, causing him to crash into her, sending them both toppling to the floor. Naruto, realizing he had knocked over a lady, quickly grabbed her arms and twisted in mid-air, landing hard on his back, but cushioning the mysterious woman from the impact of the fall with his own body.

As she fell, Saeko's face showed no sign of worry or alarm. This was a test, and Uzumaki Naruto had passed. A man who respected women was either very kind or self-sacrificing, and so was deemed worthy enough to speak with Takami-sama in her book.

Naruto and Saeko lay on the floor for a few seconds, their faces inches from the others'. His bright blue eyes locked onto her dark purple ones for a few moments before Naruto blushed and averted his gaze, much to Saeko's confusion. "I'm very sorry, that was entirely my fault, and I should have been paying more attention to where I was going." he was still blushing and gazing anywhere else but at her.

Saeko was puzzled. She sat up, her swords glinting in the light from the chandelier above their heads, and readjusted her bright red scarf. Why would he... It hit Saeko then, their position had been quite intimate and their position now, she straddling him over the waist, was borderline provocative. She too felt a warmth creeping along her cheeks, and stood up in one fluid motion, offering a hand to the now relieved detective.

He took her proffered hand and was quickly pulled to his feet. A stunned look that quickly turned into awe crossed his face as she revealed her strength in that single, smooth movement, despite her slender and rather gentle appearance. If you ignored the menacing looking blades strapped to her back and waist that is. Her dark blue skirt whipped about and her red scarf trailed behind her in the air as she turned on her heel and led the way, hoping to hide the blush that reddened her cheeks yet again. What was wrong with her today?

They continued down the hallways of the mansion until they reached a large, intricately carved door with a gold lion's paw shaped doorknob set into the dark wood. As they walked, Detective Uzumaki had opened his mouth once or twice, indicating that he wished to initiate a conversation, yet closed it each time, seemingly picking up on the fact that Saeko couldn't speak to him.

Yet.

She rapped sharply on the wood, the echoes carrying on down the lonely passages of the mansion. "Enter." murmured a voice, a soft, feminine one at that. Naruto steeled himself as the door opened. He found himself reconsidering the decision to leave Hinata behind. But he knew this was something he had to do himself. It had been eleven or twelve years since he had last seen her, but people don't change too much in that amount of time, do they?

Saeko pushed the door open slowly, gently, giving Naruto cause for alarm. This was the sort of behaviour that one exhibited when entering the presence of someone very important or very dangerous. He hoped it was the former. He looked at Saeko for permission and received a nod in confirmation. Hesitantly, he started forward into what could possibly be his untimely end.

He stepped slowly into the office, feet sinking into the plush carpet as he made his way over to the lone figure by the window. He stopped in the middle of the room as the door behind him shut with a soft click. Saeko had not entered, and despite only knowing her name, Naruto felt safer with the sword wielding stranger.

Sayu watched him from the reflection in the glass. Naruto really hadn't changed. Sure, he was older, and had a more serious air about him, but Sayu could see hints of the younger knucklehead she used to know in his eyes. Those bright, cheerful eyes that sparkled playfully with a youthful energy were currently frowning in anxiety as he waited expectantly for her to turn around. Deciding that the suspenseful mood had been set, she spoke.

"Detective Uzumaki Naruto," she smirked as he jumped slightly. "It has been many years since we last spoke." She turned around with an inviting smile on her face. A smile that did not quite reach her eyes, robbing the friendly gesture of its intended purpose. Deciding that she did not mean him any harm at that very moment, but still very much on guard, Naruto grinned his trademark foxy grin.

"Too long, Sayu-chan!" she showed no reaction to the use of the familiar suffix. It had been awhile since he, hell, since anyone had called her that. Naruto, slightly disheartened at the lack of response he elicited from the woman in front of him, clasped his hands behind his head and stood waiting for her to begin.

She tilted her head to one side curiously. Coupled with his old cute grin, his more mature look made him look rather handsome. She quickly stifled the thought before the faint blush threatening to appear could creep across her cheeks. She decided to focus on his attire, to draw her mind away from such thoughts. _He still has a fixation with the colour orange. Some things never change, I suppose._

She motioned for him to sit in one of the comfortable chairs in front of her desk as she made her way around the table to her own seat. "Well Naruto, let's get down to business, shall we?" He nodded his agreement and she continued. "You are a very good detective, I openly acknowledge that. The fact that you thought to interview me first unlike the police proves the fact, not taking into account your previous track record of solved cases."

Naruto brought a hand up behind his head and grinned. "Stop it, you're embarrassing me! But honestly, half those cases wouldn't have been solved without my partner Hyuga Hinata." he said humbly.

Sayu seemed to nod with approval. The boy was still modest to a fault. Though 'boy' was hardly the word to describe the young man seated in front of her. Her childhood friend from the orphanage had long since grown up. "However you choose to do so, I expect you to solve this case. There is someone out there who thinks they can murder my best lieutenants and get away unpunished. I want you to prove them wrong."

Naruto pulled out his orange notebook and looked her straight in the eye, self-confidence and determination seemingly flowing off him in waves. Sayu could feel a sense of assurance welling up inside her bosom in response. "I can promise you right here and now, I will bring the killer to justice, believe it!" he said with a foxy grin and a cheesy, albeit reassuring thumbs up.

Sayu felt a wave of nostalgia pass through her as she heard him declare his catchphrase. _Some things really do never change_ she thought, as his infectious cheerful demeanour brought a smile to her own lips. Quickly relaxing her expression into one of calm indifference, she watched as Naruto pulled out a pen and held it over his notebook, ready to take notes. "Now, let's start from the beginning..."

* * *

><p><strong>Uzumaki-Hyuga Detective Agency, Night<strong>

* * *

><p>Hyuga Hinata was out of her mind with worry. Her partner, her best friend, the object of her deepest affections was alone inside the home of Konoha Cities' biggest criminal mastermind. And what's more, from what she could gather from Naruto's vague answers the previous night, he had had some form of relationship with her in the past! Needless to say, Hinata was very stressed out.<p>

_The way he was so elusive about Takami Sayu, he must have been close friends with her... Maybe he even had a romantic relationship with her in the past! And since they're alone together, who's to say those old flames won't rekindle? What if they get swept up in the moment and...? _Hinata blushed and instantly severed that train of thought._ What if that... Woman... Is stealing my Naruto-kun at this very moment? _The young Hyuga thought, her index fingers pressing tightly together repeatedly in her anxiety.

She sighed and sat up from her curled up position on the 'recovery couch'. How often had she awoke to find Naruto sitting next to her, waiting to apologize for making her pass out? In fact, there was even a slight dip in the plush upholstery where he normally sat and waited, or had his daily cup of instant ramen; molded firmly into the seat from what had probably accumulated to hours of sitting patiently, waiting for Hinata to awaken.

She activated her Byakugan for the umpteenth time, checking the full length of the streets that the front and back doors of their building opened out onto. Only the faint chakra signatures of civilians making their way home or to the night clubs were roaming the streets. She even checked the roofs, as Naruto had made his way to the Takami Mansion by chakra hopping over the roofs and balconies of the Residential District to the upper class areas of Konoha City. _Without a map_ she thought to herself sadly. Clearly something had to be going on between them for Naruto to not need a map to find the place... Or to get Hinata to explain how to use it.

Just as she was about to deactivate her Byakugan, a sudden crowd of about twenty civilians passing by the front door of the office stopped her. She looked more closely, her brow furrowing slightly at the strange sight. These people were obviously civilians and yet... Their chakra signatures were stronger than normal. Some were brighter than others, and person in front, a female Hinata assumed from the general body shape, had a weak but completely developed chakra network! Sure, it wasn't enough to qualify for a police officer or medical personnel, but still...

Hinata focused her Byakugan, straining to spotter the finer details. Just who was this mysterious person? As her vision magnified, she gasped. Floating next to the persons thigh, presumably in their pocket, were two thin sticks of chakra. They matched the chakra density of the ramen senbon in their evidence storage!

She quickly leapt out of the open window next to Naruto's desk and landed softly behind the group. She searched through the crowd with her Byakugan, but the various chakra signatures were hiding the one she was looking for. She deactivated her Byakugan, so as not to intimidate the group of people with the rather ferocious look it unintentionally gave her.

"Ex-excuse m-me!" The group stopped their chatting and laughter and turned to face the now very nervous pale eyed girl. "M-my name is D-Detective Hyuga Hinata. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

The members of the group, equally composed of men and women, spoke amongst themselves before agreeing.

"Would you be kind enough to explain why your chakra signatures are so well developed, for civilians that is?"

"Well," said a black haired woman near the front of the crowd. "We've just come from a self-defence lesson that teaches us 'civilians' the basics of chakra control along with light weapons training."

"I see," Hinata replied, committing the details to memory to write down and relate to Naruto once he got back. "And did you by any chance train with senbon?"

A bulky, bearded man wearing a bloodstained butcher's apron replied in a shockingly high pitched, squeaky voice. "Yes, we did. We bring our own senbon and our sensei has a practice range set up for us to train on."

Hinata's jaw dropped, and she stared in utter shock at the man before the rumble from a passing motorbike shook her from her reverie. "Uh... Yes, th-thank you." she turned to face the group. "Would you all be so kind as to pull out your senbon for inspection?" As the group began to ruffle through their pockets, grumbling under their breaths, Hinata noticed one girl in a white shirt slowly sliding away from the group.

"Um, excuse me ma'am? I need to see..." she was cut off as the girl turned tail and ran. The girl's light brown hair flowed free from under the loosely tied bandanna keeping her hair out of her eyes as she ran for the nearest alley. Hinata was quick to pursue, using chakra to cover more distance. The brunette vanished into the darkness. Hinata caught up seconds later and skidded to a halt at the mouth of the alleyway. She couldn't sense the mysterious girl in the small rubbish filled alley. She turned back to the street to find that the crowd of civilians had vanished as well.

But Hinata was convinced that the girl who ran was the one with the senbon. She bent over, panting slightly from the frantic chase. _Did I just find the killer? And if so, where did she go?_

* * *

><p><strong>Takami Mansion, Night<strong>

* * *

><p>Sayu took a calming breath and began. "These killings began a couple of months ago. One of my men, Furaku, was meeting with a client."<p>

Naruto mumbled her words under his breath as he took notes. He glanced up and asked "And what did this Furaku do?"

Sayu seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if thinking of a way to answer his question without implicating herself. "He was in charge of my organizations 'pharmaceutical' division, as it were."

Naruto stared at her with a deadpan expression, his eyebrow raised sceptically as if to say _how stupid do you think I am?_ Her impassive face gave nothing away. Slowly he nodded, shelving the issue for the moment. "Ah ha. OK, so he was the head of your 'pharmaceutical' business. So what happened with the client?"

"He drove out to the Financial District to meet with a client who wished to work for him as a distributor. However, the client had wanted a loan to revive their failing business, through which they said they would push our 'product' through."

"Did they specify what kind of business they owned?"

Sayu leaned over to reach the bottom most drawer on her desk. Sliding it open gently, she rifled through the neatly arranged files until she reached a bright green folder. Placing it on the desk, and shielding it from Naruto's gaze with one slender arm, she whipped through the pages, stopping at one near the middle of the file.

"They said they owned a small restaurant. Nothing too fancy. It wasn't like they were trying to run my 'products' out of a strip club or brothel." Sayu paused for a moment, to allow her joke to rouse laughter from her audience of one. When none was forthcoming from said audience, she frowned. "That was a joke, to lighten the rather serious tone our conversation has set."

Naruto regarded her with another deadpan expression. "Really? That's your best attempt at humour?" Naruto shook his head in disappointment. "And to think you used to tell the best jokes when we were kids. But now is not the time to be joking around." He sat up straight in his seat, having started to sink down into its soft upholstery during the conversation.

"Yes, you are right. Forgive my lack of professional etiquette, it has just been too long since we've seen each other and I would like to make up for lost time." With those words, she smiled her first sincere smile in years, one that lit up her pretty hazel eyes.

Naruto was floored. The smile instantly changed the serious, sombre woman in front of him into a very attractive older version of the girl he used to know. Not that she hadn't been attractive before, but that smile, that simple bright smile seemed to bring out the Takami Sayu who was once Naruto's best friend. He made a mental note to make her smile like that more often, it suited her much better than the serious, I'm-the-leader-of-the-criminal-underworld look she had at the start of their meeting.

The blonde grinned back. "That sounds great, but let's organize something after the case is solved."

The brunette nodded and composed herself. "When Furaku died, I wrote it off as a hit by one of my competitors. This kind of thing happens often in my profession. However, a week later, the same thing happened with one of my subordinates in the weapons division. It was the same scenario; she drove out to meet with the client, who needed a loan for their restaurant, which they would then use to sell my black-market weapons. As promised, she had the money in a briefcase, the client swore to talk and nothing else, lest they suffer a painful death."

Sayu glanced over at Naruto. The young man was frowning as he wrote in his orange notebook, and she doubted it was because of the circumstances of the murder. However, Naruto said nothing, instead nodding for her to continue. _He is very professional. I'm impressed. _She thought

"And soon after, I received word that the head of my weapons division had been killed. At this point I was tempted to halt all future interactions with potential clients until the killer had been caught... But the killer got smarter. They started using different stories and types of meeting places."

"And because of that, you can't tell which clients are... I won't say 'honest' but are genuine in their intentions when requesting a meeting." Said Naruto, shaking out his right hand, which had become cramped from taking so many notes.

"Correct. And because of this, three more of my subordinates have been killed since. And all in the same manner. And what's more, to add salt to the wound, the killer has the nerve to collect the bounties on his victims' heads."

"Or her."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Studies show that nearly fifty one percent of hired killers nowadays are female. They are able to get closer to their target without arousing suspicion, and then easily blend into the crowds after the deed is done. So there's a roughly fifty-fifty chance that this could be a woman.

Sayu regarded Naruto with an 'are you serious' look before sighing softly and turning her head to glance out the window. The crescent moon shone down on Konoha City, illuminating the forest on the outskirts of the city with a dull white glow.

"Alright... Shall we move on?"

An hour had passed when they finally finished going over the details of the case from Takami Sayu's perspective. Naruto leaned back in his chair and sipped the drink that had been provided sometime during the interview by a silent Saeko.

"Thank you, Sayu-chan, this should be enough for a few good leads at the very least."

Takami smiled in response, a genuine smile that lit up her expressionless brown eyes. "Glad to be of some assistance. I want this killer found, and I want him _or her_ found now."

Naruto grinned back. "Well if that's all..." As Naruto stood up to leave, he felt a tug on his sleeve. Sayu had reached over the table and grabbed the arm of his jacket gently. The simple action brought back memories of her from their time together at the orphanage, how she would always hold his arm or sleeve; seeking protection and comfort.

Sayu seemed surprised at her own involuntary action. She hadn't meant to grab onto him like a little girl would. She hastily removed her hand from his jacket and straightened up from her rather undignified position.

"Before you go Detective, I have something for you." she said, her face expressionless and her eyes lacking any emotion. Naruto was instantly on guard. The sudden shift in mood had him on edge. What was she planning?

Sayu nearly smirked as Naruto seemed to ready himself for an attack. "Relax Naruto-san, you should have realized by now that I mean you no harm. No, this is something you will like, I guarantee it."

A bemused look crossed Naruto's face. "Something I'll like? What?"

"More accurately I have two things for you. One thing to give you, another to explain to you about and then give to you, in a way."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, thoroughly confused now. "OK... Sure. What are they?"

Sayu opted to answer his question with an order. "Saeko, please bring it in now, if you would be so kind."

Saeko appeared next to Naruto and to his credit, he didn't flinch, showing that he was trusting Sayu, to a certain degree.

"I trust that you will find the killer soon, yes?" Sayu said, gently crossing her arms under her ample bosom. Naruto nodded, his seriousness conveying his determination.

"You have my word, Takami-san. And I never go back on my word."

Sayu seemed convinced. "In that case..." she motioned for Saeko to step forward. Saeko moved closer to Naruto and held out a small black metal box in both of her seemingly delicate hands.

Naruto looked her in the eye, wariness and curiosity conflicting within him. He slowly reached out and took hold of the small rectangular container. Deciding to get it over with once and for all, he quickly flipped the lid open and held it away from his face, eyes screwed tightly shut. When no explosion or sound of gases of poisonous gases escaping was heard, he cautiously open his eyes, ignoring the smirks the other two occupants of the room were directing at him.

Inside the box was a very familiar object. "Huh? How did you find this? It's been missing for years!" he said in wonderment. He slowly reached into the box and pulled out a pair of dark green goggles, the exact pair he wore when he was in the orphanage. It had disappeared the day that Sayu had left, though 'left' was a gentle word for her rather dramatic exit.

"Yes well, after I was taken from the orphanage, I found these in my backpack after searching for... A certain item. I believe you asked me to hang on to them while you went swimming, and hold on to them I did."

Naruto grinned at her as he slid the goggles on to his forehead. The dark green goggles fit perfectly now, sitting snugly over his brow without sliding down his face, like it had in his youth. "It still fits! Thanks Sayu-chan!"

She only smiled briefly in response before returning to her business like demeanour. "As for the second thing I wish to give you, it, or rather she, is standing right next to you."

Naruto glanced over at Saeko. "Really? You're giving me your bodyguard?"

"In order to stay on top of the investigation, I would ask that Saeko accompanies you during the day and reports back to me in the evening on the new developments in the case. She is also an accomplished short and long range fighter and is a very good cook. She will be a valuable asset to your team, if I do say so myself."

Naruto appeared to mull it over, looking Saeko up and down as he muttered to himself. Finally he seemed to reach a decision. He nodded and stuck his hand out towards Saeko. "It'll be great to have you on the team Saeko. Welcome aboard!" he grinned his wide foxy grin and received a polite smile in return.

"It will be a pleasure working with you, Detective Uzumaki-san." Murmured Saeko as she grasped his hand firmly and shook it.

"No need to be so formal! Naruto will be fine."

"Yes, Naruto-san."

Naruto shook his head with a chuckle. "We'll work on it."

Sayu sat herself back down on her comfy leather chair. "It was good to see you again Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto nodded back. "Likewise, it's nice to see you after so many years. We'll organize a catch up dinner sometime soon OK?"

"I'd like that." She smiled another genuine smile. "Will you be able to get home safely or would you like Saeko to drive you? You could get acquainted during the ride home."

"Sure! I wasn't looking forward to chakra hopping all the way home."

"Goodnight, Detective Uzumaki and good luck."

"Goodnight, Takami-san."

Sayu raised her hand in farewell as Saeko gripped Naruto's arm, raised her free hand in the half ram seal and vanished, taking a surprised Naruto with her.

Takami Sayu leaned back in her chair, content with the way things had turned out. _Oh no,_ she thought, _I forgot to ask him if he remembered his promise to me. Well, I suppose I should bring it up later, trying to fulfill that promise could distract him from the case._

She nodded to herself once, to reassure herself and stood up, making her way to the door of her office, ready for a good nights' sleep for the first time since the whole serial killer affair had begun.


	3. Chapter Three: The Innocent Killer

**Uzumaki ~ Detective Chronicles**

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><p>Chapter Three: Case One - The Innocent Killer<p>

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><p><strong>Uzumaki-Hyuga Detective Agency, Early Morning<strong>

* * *

><p>Hyuga Hinata was exhausted. The dark indigo haired girl had spent the previous night tossing and turning, worrying over Naruto. After she had returned to the Agency following her encounter with the senbon-using civilians, Naruto had called to say that she should head home, that he was being dropped off at his own apartment.<p>

Hinata had struggled to hear his words over the communicator as the constant roar of wind howling through the communicator made even his loud voice nearly indiscernible. _He must have been driven home in an open air vehicle. I hope he's alright... He visited Takami Sayu of all people! Who knows what she could have done to him... Especially if their previous relationship ended badly..._

Hinata was seated at her desk. Being unable to sleep, Hinata had decided to just drive over to the Agency and wait for Naruto. She had arrived nearly two hours earlier than their usual arrival time and she knew Naruto would not show up until 8:30am. When Naruto had invited her to become his partner, his first order of business had been to go over a few rules. specifically the first rule of the Uzumaki-Hyuga Detective Agency: Work starts at 8:30am every weekday and 9:00am on weekends. Not a minute earlier, not a minute later.

To Naruto, a good night's sleep was very important. And no amount of coercing would get him out of bed earlier than 8am. Hinata knew that from personal experience. She sighed. She leaned forward on to her desk and lay her head on top of her hands. _Life is very boring without Naruto, when you spend nearly all of your time with him_ she thought. She felt her tired eyes begin to close. The darkness her closed eyelids brought felt relaxing, relieving almost. _I must have been more tired than I thought. Maybe just a few minutes..._

* * *

><p><strong>Uzumaki Naruto's Apartment, Early Morning<strong>

* * *

><p>Naruto pulled the door of his small apartment shut and locked it. He pocketed his keys, shifted his waist pouch to a more comfortable position and readjusted his goggles. He smiled. It felt great to wear his goggles again after so long because it was something familiar, a memento from his days as a kid.<p>

His smiled slipped as he remembered the not so great days from his youth, but he pushed the memories back to the dark recesses of his mind. Those days were more or less over and there was no point in dwelling on the past. He nodded firmly, to reassure himself. His life had drastically improved since those days, and while it wasn't perfect, it was more than good enough for him.

He turned and made his way down the stairs that led to the street. As he stepped outside and reveled in the warmth of the brightly shining sun and the feel of the cool autumn breeze on what was to be yet another beautiful day in Konoha City, the peace and quiet was disrupted by the loud rumble of an engine.

He frowned and glanced around, searching for the person who was disrupting such a nice morning. "Saeko!"

The young woman was waiting outside the entrance to his apartment, seated on the motorcycle she had brought him home on the night before. She dismounted smoothly, swinging her leg up and over the bike in a graceful motion few women could pull off. She moved towards the blonde detective and smiled politely as she bowed.

"Good morning, Naruto-san."

Naruto smiled and shook his head. "I keep telling you, no need to be so formal! Naruto is fine."

Saeko smiled back, her purple eyes shimmering in the morning sun. "My apologies, Naruto-sa- Naruto."

Naruto motioned to the sleek black motorcycle, on which Saeko's four deadly weapons were strapped to. "So, what are you doing here? I thought we were going to meet at the Agency?"

Saeko nodded. "Yes, that was the plan. However, your home was on the way from Takami-sama's mansion to the Detective Agency, so I thought I would stop by to give you a lift. We are teammates now, are we not? I thought it would be a good start to our temporary partnership if I did something nice for you."

Naruto grinned. "You know something? I think I'm really starting to like you. But I'm not the only one you have to impress."

"Ah, yes, your partner and assistant, Hyuga Hinata. Daughter of Hyuga Hiashi, her mother passed away when Lady Hinata was eight, elder sister to Hyuga Hanabi. Like most members of the main branch and some members of the side branch, she possesses the family Kekkei Genkai the Byakugan. Currently living outside of the Hyuga estate by order of the Hokage due domestic violence issues."

Naruto stared at her in awe. "Wow! Do you even need to meet her? You know pretty much all you need to know about her!"

Saeko smiled and motioned him over to the vehicle. "Of course. I must meet her in person. There is only so much one can gather from the files."

"Sayu keeps files on us?"

"Indeed, she has extensive files on people of interest. Namely those who could pose a potential threat to her operations." Saeko leapt onto the motorbike, kicking the up kickstand and turning the key in the ignition. The bike rumbled to life and she beckoned Naruto over urgently. "Come Naruto, or we shall be late for our meeting with Officer Haruno."

"Right!"

He slid onto the seat behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Saeko twisted the right hand grip and the engine roared as they smoothly sped away from Naruto's apartment.

"So, does she have a file on me?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Oh yes, quite a large one in fact." Saeko replied.

"And what was in it? What did it say about me?"

Saeko glanced back at him and smiled, her eyes glinting like amethysts in the bright sunlight. "I did not read it. You are a very interesting person Uzumaki Naruto, and so I wanted meet you face to face. I want to learn about you through a more personal face-to-face experience."

Naruto grinned, his eyes shining with the promise of something new and exciting as she turned back around and gunned the throttle, speeding them towards the center of the city. Saeko's long red scarf whipped erratically around behind them in the bikes' slipstream as they weaved through the early morning traffic.

* * *

><p><strong>Uzumaki-Hyuga Detective Agency, Early Morning<strong>

* * *

><p>Naruto held the door open for Saeko as she pocketed her key, sliding it into a zippered pocket in her dark blue skirt. "Milady," said Naruto, bowing his head and motioning toward the open portal. Saeko chuckled, ruffling his hair as she swept by. She brushed against his body on her way past him and he caught a whiff of her perfume; a subtle mix of lavender and sweet strawberries.<p>

As the pair approached the front desk, the sound of soft breathing stopped Naruto from calling out to Hinata. The Byakugan users' head was pillowed on her arms, her dark indigo hair spilling onto the wooden surface of her desk. Naruto grinned as a blush spread across her cheeks as she slept. "She's so cute when she sleeps!" Saeko remained silent.

"Saeko?" As Naruto turned to face her, he was shocked to find Saeko staring at Hinata with an expression akin to fear. She was rigid, her eyes locked on the face of the slumbering girl in front of her, yet her eyes were slightly gazed over, like she was trapped in an unpleasant memory. As the young woman began to shake, Naruto quickly placed his hand on her shoulder and leaned closer to her, trying to get her attention.

"Hey, hey Saeko? Are you OK? Saeko, talk to me!" The young woman snapped out of her daze, breathing rapidly and anxiously tugging on the red scarf around her neck. The blonde detective was worried. How did seeing Hinata cause Saeko to freeze up like that? Saeko clutched at her scarf while taking deep calming breaths, her eyes tightly closed.

A few moments later and she was calm once again. She opened her eyes and they sought the worried blue eyes of her companion. She smiled weakly. "I'm sorry if I worried you, Naruto."

Naruto eyes were wide. "Saeko, what happened? One minute you were fine and the next, you were freaking out at the sight of Hinata. I..." he was cut off as Saeko placed a slender finger on his lips, silencing his outburst.

"I am fine Naruto. Thank you for your concern. I just... Remembered something." Her face had settled into a smile that did not reach her eyes, and her tone was anything but warm. Her voice was devoid of emotion, bringing one thought to Naruto's mind. _She's picked up a few tricks from her master._

"Uh sure. Listen, if you ever need to talk..." Saeko nodded, a more natural smile gracing her features. Still uneasy due to the recent developments, he jumped when one of his communicators rang. He dug frantically through his pockets, pulling out the three devices he had on him. The last one he pulled out was vibrating, it's screen flashing as a simple ringtone emitted from the tiny speaker.

Saeko reached out and scooped the remaining two communicators from his hands, freeing him up to answer the call. He smiled at her gratefully as he pressed the red button on the front of the device and held it to his ear. Unfortunately, all of his two way communicators looked the same, and while he was sure that it wasn't Hinata calling him, there was a fifty-fifty chance that it would be either Sakura or Sayu. He hoped it was the former. He did not need to hear about Sayu's various 'businesses' on such a lovely morning. Hearing about the what horrible enterprises his former best friend was running once was enough.

"Hello?"

"Naruto, it's Sakura. There's been another murder."

"What? Is it one of Sayu's people?"

"Yes. I'll send you the directions via text message."

"Text message?"

A sigh was heard through the speaker. "Naruto, I thought I'd explained this all to you. Are you really this stupid? How do you solve murders if you can't even use your communicator properly?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "You're so mean Sakura-chan! Its not my fault, I'm new to this! Some of us aren't officers of the law you know. Humble detectives like us don't get special training on how to use these things!"

"Yeah yeah, keep making excuses baka. I'll see you at the crime scene." Without a word of farewell, she hung up. Naruto stared at the device until the screen lit up and vibrated, indicating that a message had come through. He stared helplessly at the scroll icon on the bottom right corner of the screen until Saeko came to his aid. She walked up behind him and placed her hand over his, resting her head on his shoulder as she started to navigate to the messages. With a few gentle presses, the scroll unfurled itself and grew to fill the screen, revealing the message.

"Hmm, that's not too far from here." mused Naruto.

"You better wake your partner Naruto. I shall drive ahead to the crime scene." she said as she handed the other two communicators back to the blonde.

"Sure..." said Naruto nonplussed as he watched her speedily exit the room after a nervous glance at the still sleeping Hinata. A few moments later, the muffled roar of her motorbike started up and faded away.

Naruto put his hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Hinata-chan? It's time to go." He noticed that the faint blush on her face seemed to intensify, and utterly confused, he began to gently shake her. "Come on Hinata-chan, I need you now!" He quickly grew alarmed as her whole face went bright red and a small amount of blood spurted from her nose. He started to shake her more vigorously until she finally stirred.

Hinata's eyes opened slowly, and as they focused on Naruto, she leapt up from the table in shock. Blood dripped from her nose onto her light purple jacket, staining the material a dark red.

"N-N-Naruto-k-kun! How... When..." she stuttered, feeling flustered and embarrassed.

"No time for that Hinata-chan! Your nose is bleeding and we've got another murder on our hands!"

At these words, Hinata calmed down somewhat, and grabbing a couple of tissues, led Naruto by the hand outside to her car. As Naruto realized where she was leading him to, he shivered as a feeling of dread settled over his heart.

"Let's go Naruto-kun. Do you have an address?" She quickly wiped her nose and dabbed at the spots of blood on her jacket as they made their way to the small hatchback.

Naruto glanced from the communicator in his hand to Hinata with a helpless look. Immediately understanding, she sighed. "Oh Naruto-kun..." she said as she gently plucked the proffered device from Naruto's hand and navigated to the messages.

* * *

><p><strong>Red Light Zone, Midmorning<strong>

* * *

><p>"Why do we always end up in the red light zone?" muttered Officer Haruno. She glanced impatiently at her watch while Shikamaru snickered from his position on her squad car's bonnet, stretched out on his back and gazing at the clouds.<p>

"Huh. Maybe the killer has a kinky side."

"Shikamaru..." Sakura was cut off as a small silver hatchback came hurtling round the corner of the all too familiar strip club they were currently parked outside of.

The small car screeched to a halt, sliding into a perfect parallel park next to Sakura's squad car. Inside, Naruto was clutching at the dashboard and handles of the car, a look of pure terror on his face. Nothing was more scary than Hinata's breakneck driving pace. Behind the wheel, the timid, mild mannered girl turned into a fiery speed demon. Naruto had faced some truly horrible criminals in his time as a detective, but Hinata's daredevil driving put them all to shame.

Almost.

Next to the deathly pale blonde sat Hinata, who was calming down after the rush that her driving gave her. The manic grin slipped off her face as she glanced over at Naruto. "I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun..."

Naruto slowly released his death grip on the small cars' dash, and returned her gaze with a weak grin. "No-no problem Hinata-chan. N-nice to see you show some confidence eh?" he quickly opened the door and leapt out equally fast. "L-let's go! We don't want to keep Sakura-chan waiting now do we?" He wobbled away on shaky legs, desperate to get away from that silver death trap. He really should make the time to learn how to drive. Then again, there was a reason why he didn't.

Sakura beckoned him over impatiently. Behind him, the soft patter of footsteps and the chirp of the car alarm as it was locked told him that Hinata was right behind him. The detective double timed it over to Sakura, a rarely seen serious expression upon his face.

She pointed out the body of a young woman, sprawled across the small flight of stairs leading to the entrance of the run down strip club. Shards of broken glass, mostly likely from neon tubing were sprinkled around and under the body. The entrance was taped off and the body had a chalk line around it, marking its position. A full cigarette with a burnt tip lay next to the woman's outstretched hand, a senbon needle in the wrist, while her other was placed squarely on top of her miniskirt encased waist, between her wide spread legs.

The woman almost looked as if she had passed out, if not for the two senbon in her neck and heart, each one staining her long sleeved white shirt with a copious amount of blood. Naruto ducked under the yellow tape and pulled out his orange notebook.

"Alright, tell me what happened." he said as he knelt next to the body for a closer examination. Sakura nodded and began.

"The victims' name is Nakajima Yumi. She was the owner of the strip club. We received the call from one of her employees around 5:45am. Our medical examiner places the time of death around-"

"5:00am." Hinata interjected as she deactivated her Byakugan and handed Naruto a small page of notes on the body to add to his notebook.

"...Correct. Nakajima was killed in the same manner as the other, one senbon to disarm, two to kill. However, the victim did not have any weapons save for a lit cigarette, which in all honesty is a weapon that harms the user more than anything. I believe that the killer hit the victims wrist with a senbon as a safety measure, just in case she did have a concealed weapon."

"Seems reasonable," murmured Naruto, deep in thought. What about the broken glass? Where did that come from?"

"That glass was already there. Across the street was where victim number six, Hideto Ryuuji, was found. The man used a chakra pulse during his confrontation with the killer, and that made the neon tubes from the sign above the entrance explode. Obviously, the current victim didn't think it was worth cleaning up or replacing."

True to her word, the sign had not been repaired. As Naruto angled his head to look at the sign, one of the broken tubes sparked.

"Alright. So the cigarette is definitely Nakajima's?"

"DNA testing has not been performed, but we found a lighter amongst her personal effects. That and its proximity to the body are more than enough evidence. Satisfied?"

"Not completely but it is very convincing circumstantial evidence."

Sakura held a hand to her brow and smiled with mild exasperation. "As meticulous to a fault as always." she said as she removed her blue hat and ran her fingers through her pink hair.

Naruto smiled and stood up, replacing his notebook in his waist pouch. "As long as I have my reputation as the best detective in Konoha City, I have to be!" Hinata smiled at him proudly.

Sakura assumed a mock disinterested expression. "Sure sure. Now, what are your observations? This guy is clearly one smart bastard to evade the police for so long."

"Girl." said Naruto.

"What?"

"The killer is a female."

"I've had my suspicions about that too," Naruto, Hinata and Sakura looked over to the squad car, where Shikamaru was sliding off of the bonnet. He sauntered over to the group with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Finally going to start doing your job Shikamaru?" Sakura said snidely.

Shikamaru ignored her pointedly and addressed Naruto. "But I'd like to know what led you to that conclusion."

"There were a few small hints but really the two major indicators were the method of murder and the position of the body."

Naruto had Sakura and Hinata's undivided attention now. "Explain." Ordered Sakura.

Naruto stood to attention and saluted. "Yes Ma'am! The method of killing, the use of senbon, is often used for assassinations. No noise and very little mess if used correctly. Most, but not all female killers tend to use techniques that cause very little mess or involve very little direct contact. Poisons, senbon, traps involving kunai and the like. Therefore, our killer's technique gives us about a 59 percent chance that the killer is female."

"Naruto, that's not a very convincing statistic." Said Sakura with a deadpan expression.

"I'm not finished. Yes, the possibility of the killer being female rather than male cannot be properly judged from the percentage value, however that is where the position of the body comes in." Naruto motioned to the body behind the tape. He noted with interest that sometime during their initial examination of the body, the closed window on the ground floor of the strip club to the right of the entrance had opened slightly.

"Do you notice anything unusual about the body? Something fishy in the way the victim has sprawled across the steps?"

Hinata, Sakura and Shikamaru duly observed the corpse, looking for whatever it was that was 'fishy'.

"N-Naruto-kun, I'm afraid I don't see anything out of the ordinary." murmured Hinata almost inaudibly.

"I'm gonna have to agree with Hinata on this one Naruto," added Shikamaru. "I don't see whatever it is you see. You want to drop the theatrics and enlighten us?"

Naruto noticed the pulsing vein on Sakura's temple and decided to get a move with the big reveal before he found himself across the street cratered in a wall.

"Uh, see how her right hand, the one near the cigarette, is carelessly flung to the side, consistent with a fall? Now look at her other hand. If you had just been fatally injured by some senbon wielding serial killer, would preserving your decency be the only thing going through your mind?"

The other three gathered around the body shared a blank look between them but did not interrupt. When it pertained to a case, Naruto did not say or do anything without a reason.

"Did you notice the cut on top of her wrist? If you look closely you can see that it was bleeding," He pointed to the edge of one of the concrete steps just below the deceased's left shoulder. "And over here, there is a smear of blood on the edge, presumably from the fall. When she fell, she must have hit her hand against the edge, causing the cut."

"Alright, so you've determined the cause of a minor injury. What does that have to do with decency? Oh!" said Sakura, as a look of realization spread across her face.

"Ah, you've seen it! If the hand landed on the step, how did it end up on her lap? Directly over her rather short skirt? The answer is obvious. The killer obviously felt that their victim deserved some respect, even in death, and took the time to adjust the hand so that it would stop her skirt from sliding up and revealing her... Underwear..." Naruto blushed and scratched the back of his head before continuing.

"Not many killers, much less males than females, stop to manipulate their victims' body after the deed is done. With this type of murder, the common thing to do is do the deed, pick up the money or whatever they were after and then make themselves scarce. This then tells us that the killer is an inexperienced female, who's new to the game, and felt some sort of sisterhood or womanly bond with their victim, which made her feel that she had to preserve her victims' dignity!"

Sakura looked doubtful. " So you're saying we are looking for a newbie female killer with a screwed up sense of respect and honour? Don't get me wrong, it makes sense, but still..."

"Haven't you learnt by now that I'm always right?" he said, a mischievous grin on his lips. Sakura bopped him on the top of his head.

"Baka! Shikamaru and I are going to head back to the precinct to document this murder. Do you two mind dropping by around 7:30 this evening to go over some details as well as discuss any new findings you may have?" Naruto rubbed the top of his head, which was feeling very sore but nodded.

"Sure thing! See you soon!" he said with a grin as the pair walked away. Hinata waved good bye shyly and Shikamaru waved back with a grin that was interrupted by a yawn as Sakura reversed the squad car back into the street and sped off towards the city center.

As she drove away, Sakura pondered Naruto's last few words. A few years ago, he would have said 'Its a date!' rather than 'See you soon'. It seemed like Naruto had grown up, in some ways, and moved on. Sakura felt... Something... at the thought that Naruto might not be interested in her anymore. It wasn't a happy feeling, nor was it sad. She didn't know what it was. Was he really over her? And how did that make her feel?

Naruto shifted his gaze from the receding vehicle towards the open window of the strip club. "Saeko? Are you still there?"

_Psycho? _Thought Hinata.

She jumped as a window on the ground floor of the strip club slid open and a woman peered out from the dark interior of the establishment. A very attractive woman, she noted. Just how many women did her Naruto-kun know? She hoped this strange woman with four deadly looking blades wasn't from another one of his previous relationships like with Takami Sayu. Did Naruto-kun like dangerous women? And if so, what chance did she have of winning him over? She was, in Naruto's own words, cute! Just cute!

"Hinata-chan? Hey, are you paying attention?" Naruto was waving his hand in front of her glazed white eyes. Hinata quickly snapped to attention, shaking her head to clear her mind. There was time to ponder over her worries later.

"S-Sorry, Naruto-kun."

"Anyway, this here is..."

"Saeko. Takami Sayu-sama's personal bodyguard. I was assigned by her to your team in order to keep her updated on the progress you make on the case. Nice to meet you Lady Hinata."

Saeko hopped onto the windowsill and leapt out the window, landing silently in a crouch before standing and bowing. Her weapons clinked ominously and her smile as she straightened seemed forced to the estranged Hyuga heir.

She returned the bow with a quiet "N-Nice to meet you too."

"Ah! I forgot to fill you in on what happened last night!" Naruto slapped his forehead, amazed at his own absentmindedness.

He quickly filled her in on what happened at Takami Sayu's mansion. He failed to mention his abrupt meeting with Saeko, the young woman in question noted, spotting the faint blush on his face as he glossed over the details and moved straight into the meeting.

Hinata on the other hand felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her heart. Naruto and Sayu had been friends when they were in the orphanage? It didn't explain why he had been so evasive on the topic earlier, but at least she knew now that she still had a chance! The cute girl was not out for the count just yet!

As Naruto explained how Takami had returned his goggles, Hinata was surprised that she had not seen them in the first place. _Despite having the Byakugan, the all seeing eye, I still manage to miss the small details_ she thought as a sweat drop rolled down the side of her head.

As Naruto wrapped up his recount of the previous nights events, he turned to Saeko. "So why didn't you come out when Sakura-chan was here?"

"I was instructed by Takami-sama not to have any interactions with the police, lest they think I am trying to sabotage the investigation on Milady's behalf. The police tend to draw strange conclusions when Takami-sama is involved. Therefore it is probably wise not to mention to Officer Haruno that I am a temporary member of you team, at least until the investigation is over."

"I see. That's reasonable I suppose. But Sakura-chan would be cool about you working with us wouldn't she...?" he trailed off as Hinata shook her head. "Yeah, you're right I suppose." He redirected his attention to Saeko. "So, what did you find out?"

"The same things you did. I did overhear your deductions on the killers' gender and I must admit, it makes sense," she smiled, her purple eyes free from the strain that Hinata's presence seemed to cause. "You're reputation is well deserved."

Naruto locked his arms behind his and grinned. Hinata felt that it was time to move on. This strange young woman was making her nervous, what with her twin katana blades on her back, two wakizashi strapped to her waist and the very dangerous flirty looks she was throwing at her Naruto-kun.

"N-Naruto-kun, I think it's time we move on. We're blocking the paramedics." Naruto looked around and spotted the ambulance that had parked near Hinata's car. Two medical personnel were quickly unloading a stretcher from the back of the van and unfolding the white cloth used to cover the body.

"You're right, we've got all the information we can from this crime scene anyway and..." Naruto was interrupted at that point by a loud rumble from his stomach. He scratched his head sheepishly as Hinata giggled. Saeko looked at him with concern. Naruto laughed. "I guess skipping breakfast this morning was a bad move! It's about lunchtime anyway isn't it? Hinata-chan, you want grab a bowl of ramen with me?"

Hinata looked regretful as she informed him that she couldn't. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun but I-I have to catch up on some paperwork."

Naruto pouted childishly. "Please Hinata-chan? Surely it can wait?" Hinata looked ready to give in, not that she'd refuse any free time with Naruto when Saeko piped up.

"If you do not mind, I would not mind accompanying you. It would be a chance for us to get to know each other better."

"Sure! Sounds great. Well then, I guess this is goodbye Hinata-chan! I'll be back at the Agency in the afternoon alright?"

For Hinata, her worst fears had been realized. Naruto-kun was going to be alone with that temptress _all afternoon_. She had no chance now!

"S-Sure Naruto-kun, I-I'll see you l-later." she walked slowly to her car, shuffling slowly with her face turned toward the ground - the picture of dejection.

Naruto was left watching another of his close friends drive away. He turned back to Saeko. "Shall we go then?"

"Yes. Follow me, I parked around the back." As they made their way around the side of the strip club, Naruto spoke up.

"Do you mind eating at a little place called Ichiraku Ramen? Most of my female friends don't like to as they say it's unhealthy and makes them fa..." he trailed off with a nervous look at Saeko. To mention a woman's weight was like tempting an angry bear by stepping into its cave and laughing at it. His wariness went unnoticed by Saeko as she turned around and smiled.

"I love that place! The people there are so nice, and I can never get enough of their ramen!"

Naruto's grin stretched to impossible proportions. Yes, he definitely liked this woman.

* * *

><p><strong>Ichiraku Ramen, Noon<strong>

* * *

><p>Saeko switched off the engine and the pair leapt off the sleek motorbike. <em>Even though we were in an open vehicle, I felt a lot safer with Saeko and her driving skills compared to Hinata. Better not mention it to Hinata though<em> thought Naruto, sweat dropping simultaneously.

Naruto ducked under the small curtain, and being the gentlemen that he is, held it up for Saeko to walk through. Once again his hair was ruffled by a smiling Saeko and once again, he caught a whiff of that lovely perfume. The partners in cri... Justice took their seats and waited for Teuchi and Ayame.

A loud clattering echoed from behind the curtain partitioning the storeroom from the kitchen. Ayame quickly hurried out from behind the curtain, and spotting her two best customers, put on her biggest smile. "Naruto-kun! And Saeko-san! It's been way too long, where have you been?"

Saeko returned her smile with a polite one of her own. "Takami-sama has been keeping me busy, Ayame-san, so I haven't been able to come visit as often as I would like."

Ayame assumed a mock serious expression. "Should I have a chat with this Takami character about why she's keeping one of my best customers away?" Saeko laughed, the thought of anyone going up against Takami Sayu for something as simple as ramen... Admittedly the best ramen she had ever tasted but still...

Ayame turned to Naruto and leaned over the counter to give him a quick hug. "So Naruto-kun," she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Did you bring the ring this time?" Naruto blushed in response.

"Ayame-chan! Quit teasing me!"

Back when Naruto was young and needed to escape the cruelty of his fellow orphans at the orphanage and later to escape the feeling of loneliness he felt while living alone in his apartment, he had spent a lot of his time at the ramen stand and quickly developed a huge crush on the kind Ayame, going so far as to propose multiple times. Even now he still had a small crush on the ramen waitress, and she took every opportunity to tease him about it good naturedly.

"For shame Naruto-kun! How do you expect to propose if you don't have a ring?" Naruto's face was starting to resemble his white-eyed partners face during one of his own pranks on her. He started fidgeting self consciously.

"Ayame-chan..."

"Aww, you're too cute when you're flustered Naruto-kun!" the brunette said, gently pinching his bright red cheek for added effect. "So, the usual?" Naruto nodded with a small grin, still very much embarrassed.

Saeko had watched the whole exchange and was very amused. "I think you two would make a great couple Naruto-kun!"

"Not you too Saeko!"

* * *

><p><strong>Ichiraku Ramen, Afternoon<br>**

* * *

><p>Naruto put down his fifth bowl and sighed in contentment. Beside him, Saeko was just about finished with her fourth and final bowl of ramen. He had been pleasantly surprised at how well she could keep up with his eating pace. A feat that not even Choji had accomplished.<p>

Ayame sighed tiredly and walked around the counter to sit down next to Naruto. She turned her back towards him and looked over her shoulder at him with pleading eyes. "Naruto, could you massage me? Pretty please? Working the stoves by myself all day puts a lot of pressure on me since dad went out of town to a chefs convention."

"Sure. Lean back a bit and I'll get started."

Naruto started to massage her shoulders, using chakra in his fingers to slowly ease out the knots in her back. A relieved moan sounded from the ramen waitress as his fingers worked their magic. "Oh Naruto-kun, that feels so good! I'll never know how you got so good at this, but thank Kami for it!"

Naruto grinned and was about to reply when he noticed something on her neck. As his hands made small circular movements on her shoulder blades, the collar of her shirt slid down, revealing a small design at the base of her neck. A small black triangle with points on the bottom edge, the middle spike longer than the two on the sides, were surrounded by two lines that started from the top point of the triangle and encircled, ending in two arrows that pointed upwards into the two gaps between the bottom three spikes. The center of the triangle had a small spiral left uninked in the middle, the white mark contrasting sharply with the black ink.

"Ayame-chan, I didn't know you had a tattoo."

"A tattoo? No I don..." her head slumped forward slightly before she responded in a monotone. "Yes, I got it recently," her voice slowly return to normal with each word. "Do you like it, Naruto-kun?"

_Strange_ he thought. "Uh, its nice, I suppose."

The conversation was interrupted as a chilly wind blew through the ramen stand, sending Ayame's cleaning cloth flying. Saeko got up to catch it before it flew out onto the street, but to her and Naruto's surprise, the cloth was suddenly pinned to the wall with two senbon that bit deeply into the wood of the stands' entrance. Two rather oddly coloured senbon that glowed faintly for a few moments with the familiar blue hue of chakra before it faded away.

Naruto glanced at Saeko but she shook her head. He glanced over at Ayame, who face held a satisfied look. "Look Naruto! My self defense classes are paying off!"

"That was you? Wow! That was some first class senbon... Action..." he trailed off thoughtfully before shaking his head and standing up.

"Well its time for us to go. I have to pick up Hinata and meet with Sakura this evening."

Ayame seemed to stiffen at the mention of the officer's name before her face resumed its normal easy smile. "Sure, sure. Don't let little old me keep you from your duty Detective Uzumaki!"

Naruto moved forward and embraced her. "See you later Ayame-chan. Stay safe."

"Always. Bye Naruto-kun." she replied, hugging him tightly before releasing him, grabbing the senbon and cleaning cloth and returning to her spot behind the counter. Naruto waved as he ducked out, watching closely as she stifled a yawn and waved back with a tired smile. He noticed for the first time that she had dark circles under her eyes, and a worried look filled his own sapphire eyes as he slid onto the bike behind Saeko and wrapped his arms around her waist, engrossed in his thoughts.

As they slowly pulled away from the ramen stand and towards the Agency, Saeko's own train of thought was following Naruto's, though she was a little distracted by the warm pair of arms hugging her to an even warmer body. Saeko had never been held like this, intentionally or unintentionally, by anyone and she had to admit, as a small smile formed on her lips, it felt nice.


	4. Chapter Four: The Innocent Killer

**Uzumaki ~ Detective Chronicles**

* * *

><p>Chapter Four: Case One - The Innocent Killer<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Main Street, Evening<strong>

* * *

><p>"Hinata-chan, c-could we slow down? Just a bit?" Once again, Naruto found himself strapped into the silver death trap that was Hyuga Hinata's car. This time, his hands desperately clung to the soft fabric of the seat, fingers clawing deeply into the spongy material as he hoped against hope that he would get out of the thing alive.<p>

Hinata didn't respond. She was 'in the zone' and if anything, her foot pressed the accelerator further into the floor, sending the car rocketing forwards at breakneck pace. As they weaved through the evening traffic, Naruto found he could not shut his eyes, barely able to hold back a gasp as they came within inches of a taxi holding a frightened woman and her driver, the lady's face a mask of terror very similar to Naruto's own.

Naruto sighed with relief as he spotted the familiar blue sign above the entrance to the courtyard of the precinct proudly displaying the Konoha Police logo and the name of the precinct. Underneath the '7th Precinct' was the motto 'To Protect the Knights and the King.' The motto was a shogi reference, and every Police Academy student had to answer the question: 'Who are the Knights and who is the King?' twice; before joining the Academy and after their graduation to see if their answer had changed over their three to four years in the Academy. (Obviously all students got the question wrong on their first day).

Those who got the question wrong after graduation were sent back for another year at the Academy. 'If you don't know who you're protecting, you have no right to wear the uniform and badge' was the police forces' reasoning behind the question. Due to Naruto dropping out of the Academy during his final year, he was never formally asked the question. However, during his training trip with Jiraiya, he eventually figured it out, making his perverted old sensei proud by unraveling it by himself.

A loud squeal filled the air as Hinata hit the brakes a good ten meters from the front door of the 7th Precinct. The tires locked, sending the acrid fumes of burned rubber into the night, the smoke turning red for a few brief moments as it passed by the glowing taillights. The small hatchback skidded to a halt directly in front of the revolving door, where Sakura was waiting patiently, magazine in one hand and a takeaway tray with two Styrofoam cups in the other.

Naruto slowly unhooked his fingers from the seat, wincing as his joints opened painfully from death gripping the grey material for a straight fifteen minutes. He leaned back in his seat delicately, taking a few deep, calming breaths before looking over at Hinata. She still had that manic grin on her face that made him both proud and fearful at the same time as she slipped the key out of the ignition and turned towards him, eyes shining. "Um, sorry Naruto," she said as she took in his ghostly pale appearance, her exuberance fading quickly.

He gave a weak grin as he fumbled around for the lock on the door. "It's okay, Hinata-chan as long as you're enjoying yourself!" His fingers found the small nub and he quickly pulled it up, a small clunk indicating that freedom and safety was just a few seconds away.

Sakura watched as the pair exited the vehicle. She frowned as Naruto seemed to wobble about for a few moments before steadying himself, making his way up the small flight of stairs that led to the main door with Hinata in tow as she pressed the button on her keys that locked and alarmed her vehicle. Behind them, an elaborate fountain, donated by the council, made quiet splashing noises that echoed around the empty courtyard, the gentle sound a soothing addition to the noises of the night.

She smiled at the detective and his assistant before handing the magazine to Naruto along with an espresso for the blonde and a cup of green tea for his partner. The crime solving duo accepted their drinks gratefully, then Naruto looked Sakura in the eye as he gestured with the magazine. "Well? Did it happen?" Hinata looked on in confusion, wondering what they were talking about and why the two had slowly drifted away from her.

Sakura smirked with self-satisfaction. "Take a look and see, but you'll be paying up soon enough." As Naruto was one handed, she helped flip through the pages until they reached the center of the magazine. She pointed to the pages with triumph. "It continues over the next four pages too." Naruto's eyes widened and he grinned.

"Well well, guess I lose. Or did I?" he grinned a cheeky grin as he handed his coffee cup to Sakura and, reaching into his back pocket, pulled out a very fat Gama-chan (his little green toad shaped purse). He dipped his hand in and pulled out a wad of notes and coins. "You win Sakura-chan, here's the 10,000 ryo."

He placed the money in her outstretched hand and closed up Gama-chan giving him a sympathetic pat and placing him back in his pocket. Poor Gama-chan was looking a lot slimmer now. He took his espresso back from the pinkette, smiling as he watched her do a little victory dance on the spot.

Hinata was bewildered. "Naruto-kun, Sakura-san, what's going on? What are you two up to?"

Sakura addressed her as she placed the spoils of her victory in her own bright pink, dotted with green hearts purse. "Well, Naruto and I had a little bet." Naruto held up the magazine so she could see the front cover, which read 'Police Precinct Weekly'.

"Have you ever read this magazine Hinata-chan?" asked Naruto. As she shook her head, he continued. "Well, Police Precinct Weekly is, well, a weekly publication (obviously) that goes around the various precincts (again, obviously). When I was visiting Sakura-chan at the 7th Precinct, I found one of these on her desk and began to read. They're full of interesting articles, news, reviews, jokes and puzzles along with that weeks 'Model Officer'. It's basically an interview and a photo spread of... I'll let you see for yourself. Come over here and have a look!"

Hinata made her way over to Naruto, very curious about the magazine and more importantly it's 'Model Officer' section. As she reached Naruto's side, he began to flip through the magazine until he reached the middle page. When Hinata saw the pages, her eyes widened and she blushed furiously.

Right there, for all the members of the police force to see, was none other than Yamanaka Ino in various bikinis posing against various backdrops. The last picture was the biggest shock, as Hinata found herself looking at Sakura's best female friend dressed in a sexy maid costume, posing in a vaguely provocative manner in the hallway of a very fancy looking mansion.

"N-Naruto-kun! What is this? I-I don't understand, w-why is she..." her spluttering rendered her incoherent, and Naruto stepped in before she had another fainting spell.

"Relax Hinata-chan! Let me finish explaining and maybe you'll get it. The bet was that Sakura had to try and convince both Ino and the editor of Police Precinct Weekly to firstly agree to do the shoot and then to actually get the editors to agree to allow a civilian to grace the 'Model Officer' pages and quite obviously, she won! So now I'm out 10,000 ryo and poor Gama-chan looks horribly thin. Though I must say, the way the pictures turned out, it's not a complete loss!"

"S-So...So this magazine prints these... Revealing... Pictures of their officers? Why?"

"Just for a bit of fun. Besides, there have been males," Hinata's fading blush returned full force. "And sometimes they interview and photograph officers who've actually done something important, like saving a number of people from a bank robber, or apprehending a kidnapper, things like that. You know, actual 'Model Officers'. Replied Sakura, who then turned to Naruto, replacing her smile with a serious demeanor. "Anyway, Naruto, Hinata, we should probably head inside, Shikamaru must be wondering why we're taking so long."

"S-Sure," said Hinata, relieved that they were off the rather uncomfortable topic. Still she was worried about Naruto's reaction to the pictures. In her eyes, he seemed a little too excited at the idea of Ino modeling swimsuits. '_What would he say_,' she thought as they started to walk towards the front door, '_If__ I was in the magazine? _She shook her head rapidly, desperate to remove such embarrassing and strange thoughts from her mind. Pictures of herself in bikinis in the hands of every police officer in the city? She'd die of shame, if her clan didn't kill her first.

"If I know Shikamaru, I don't think he's thinking of us at all right now." Naruto said as he started to read the first of the articles in the magazine entitled 'For Every Criminal, There's a Officer Waiting to Bust Them'.

* * *

><p><strong>7th Precinct Headquarters, Evening<strong>

* * *

><p><em>'The clouds look so nice today,'<em> thought Shikamaru as he watched the fluffy white clouds roll by overhead. He was at peace, but he knew deep inside that it wouldn't last. There was always something that would interrupt him, always something...

"Hey Shikamaru!" ...And there it was. Yamanaka Ino's voice was loud, _very_ loud. Shikamaru closed his eyes wearily. _'And to think that things were so peaceful' _thought Shikamaru. Was it karma? What had he done to not deserve an hour or two of cloud gazing and naps?

"Come on Shika, I hav-" the sudden silence forced Shikamaru to crack open an eye, to search for his childhood friend. His father, her father and Choji's father had been an unstoppable team of police officers back in their day, so when their children were born, they were put together from day one, in the hopes of creating the next generation Ino-Shika-Cho trio. What he saw caused him to open both eyes wide in shock.

_'Am I dreaming?'_ It seemed the karma was in his favor today. Ino had been restrained by a tree, it's wooden tendrils binding her arms and legs to the trunk of the tree. As he watched, a gag made of leaves descended on a vine and was tied in place by two more roots, effectively stopping and silencing the blonde haired girl.

_'This is almost too good to be true, if only...'_ As the sounds of footsteps approached, and greetings from his other friends surrounded him, Shikamaru watched with interest as they were snared in the same manner. As one, the trees rotated, turning the pleading looks of his friends away from him, allowing him some true peace in the middle of a ring of short trees. They fenced off the surrounding field, leaving him with an uninterrupted view of the sky.

Pure bliss.

Suddenly, one of the trees disintegrated into sawdust, tearing his eyes away from the beautiful white clouds in the sapphire sky. An angry pinkette had freed herself from her binds, dragging behind her a terrified Naruto and Hinata, the former of which was discretely motioning with his hands, telling Shikamaru to run if he wished to live.

Shikamaru turned his gaze back to the sky. "All good things must come to an-Ouch!" The lazy officer felt a painful punch land on the top of his head and found himself falling through the grassy field, as the cloudy sky started to fade. He landed hard on the thin carpeted floor of the 7th Precinct as his chair rotated idly above him, next to which was a fuming Sakura, a wide eyed Naruto and a horrified Hinata, who was gazing at him with concern with her hands over her mouth.

Shikamaru focused once again on his pink haired partner. "Shikamaru, what have I told you about sleeping on the job?" said Sakura, deceptively calm as a vein pulsed on her forehead.

The young man on the floor rolled on to his back and sighed. "Women, so very, very troublesome."

"What was that?"

* * *

><p><strong>7th Precinct Headquarters, Night<strong>

* * *

><p>The team of crime stoppers were sitting on the circular couch in the officers' break room, sipping their coffees while Shikamaru grumbled and nursed the two large painful bumps on his head. The place was small but comfortable and warmly lit. "Alright let's begin with a summary of the evidence," said Sakura. "Since we have evidence from the first five murders and because you only know about the last two, we'll start."<p>

As Naruto and Hinata nodded their agreement, Sakura began. "The first of the murders began a month ago with the murder of Chizou Furaku, one of Takami Sayu's lieutenants during what we believed to be a business deal gone wrong. The man was killed by three senbon, one to the wrist and one each to the heart and neck. About five days later the second victim appeared and the next three after that in no recognizable pattern."

Shikamaru, after taking a sip of coffee, picked up the narrative. "The sixth victim, Hideto Ryuuji, is where you guys were called in. This man was killed in the same manner as the others, yet as was with the previous three or so victims, the man was not found near or inside an establishment that the were in charge of. The killer had gotten smarter, and lured her victims to unrelated locations to either throw us off or trick the victim for some reason. The last victim was Nakajima Yumi. We know her to be the person in charge of Takami Sayu's 'red light zone' businesses due to several raids in the past. She was found outside one of the places where she had an office. As with the previous six victims, she too had an envelope on her person that was empty, which we know contained cash, as residual inks the forensic team found on the inside of the envelopes confirmed. After this, we are at a loss."

"How about you Naruto? What did you find out?" the pinkette questioned as she sipped her vanilla latte and glanced over to the detective team seated on the opposite side of the circular couch.

Naruto placed his finished espresso cup next to his copy of Police Precinct Weekly on the small coffee table in the center of the circular couch. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on top of his legs and resting his chin in both palms. "Hinata-chan and I returned to the office after you gave us copies of the evidence from the murder of Hideto Ryuuji. After careful analysis, we discovered the senbon were made of uncooked ramen noodles infused with chakra for extra penetrative power."

Hinata looked ready to say something before she closed her mouth and allowed Naruto to continue. He was the one who made the discovery and yet he was sharing the credit. _'I didn't even do much on this case.'_ she thought sadly. Naruto looked at her curiously before continuing.

"A little while after, I went to have a chat with Takami Sayu."

"What! Naruto, are you that stupid? You can't trust a word that comes out of that vile snakes' mouth!" yelled Sakura. The temperature of the room seemed to drop a few degrees.

All was silent, and Hinata, Sakura and Shikamaru gazed at the eerily still blonde, who's eyes were hidden by the shadows cast by the strands of yellow hair that fell across his brow. They jumped when he spoke.

"Don't call her that." he said quietly, a menacing undertone accompanying his words.

"S-Sorry," said Sakura, uncharacteristically nervous. _'Why is he so defensive of Takami Sayu? Did she get to him? Convince him that she was innocent through some sob story?'_

Sakura glanced at Hinata while the blonde tiredly rubbed a hand over his face. Those white eyes seemed to say "I'll tell you later."

She nodded in response and turned her attention back to Naruto, who had composed himself. Shikamaru looked at him curiously as he grinned weakly. "Uh, shall we keep going?"

As the others nodded, he continued. "I went to have a chat with Takami Sayu, and she told me all about the various murders and how they occurred. Apparently, a person had been calling the heads of her various businesses asking for a loan to restart their failing restaurant. They agreed to push Takami's 'products' through if they brought the money with them when they met. However as Takami started to wise up to this tactic, the killer began to change her story, so that Takami couldn't refuse a meeting with a client in case they were honestly meeting with that specific head of business to discuss terms. She would start to lose money if she started rejecting every proposal, and so she was up against a wall."

"I see. So, how do you she wasn't lying? What if she was the one killing her own for some unknown purpose?" asked Shikamaru.

"Well, what would she gain by doing that? She seemed genuinely upset-" he was interrupted by a derisive snort from Sakura. "Okay, she seemed very irritated by the fact that someone was killing her best men and women. Also, the killer claimed the bounty on the victims heads a few hours after each murder. Even criminals have an honor code of sorts and those in the same organization would not collect the bounty on a fellow members head unless they had been killed for betrayal. Takami was furious that someone was collecting the bounty."

"I suppose that make sense," muttered Shikamaru, deep in thought. "But why do you trust her so implicitly?"

Naruto waved his hands in front of himself rapidly. "Oh no, no, I don't trust her that much. But, she seemed sincere and well, she gave me this." his hand reached up to minutely readjust his dark green goggles.

Sakura squinted at his forehead and her eyebrows raised in surprise. "How did I miss that? I haven't seen those goggles in years. What was she doing with them?"

"Uh... She had them all this time... It happened during our days at the orphanage..."

_'The orphanage? Is that really why he defended her earlier? Because he knew her in the past?' _Sakura's growing suspicion skyrocketed with this little clue. _'I better keep an eye on his involvement with Takami in the future. Naruto is naive enough to believe that the bonds between friends last forever, and Takami is sure to exploit that.'_

"Alright, continue Naruto," said Sakura, shelving the issue for the moment. "We need to finish this meeting soon, I've got an early start tomorrow."

"Right. During my chat with Say- Takami, Hinata-chan here found out something of interest." he motioned to the dark haired girl next to him, prompting her to speak. "Tell them what happened."

Hinata blushed as all eyes turned on her. She wasn't used to be the center of attention, and when she was, she felt very uncomfortable. She looked to Naruto and he gave her a grin, an encouraging grin that said he had faith in her. She felt confidence rising in her chest, an alien feeling as she began.

"W-Well I was waiting for Naruto-kun to get back when I noticed a group of civilians walking down the street towards our Agency. My Byakugan was active and I noticed that the group had rather well developed chakra networks for civilians. And then at the front of the group, I noticed someone who was carrying a pair of senbon infused with chakra that were very similar to the senbon used in the murders. The amount used and the chakra signature itself was a roughly ninety five percent match."

Naruto, who was satisfied that Hinata was fine without him, picked up his cup and made his way over to the coffee machine in the corner. As he made his second cup of espresso, Hinata continued after a brief pause as Naruto looked over and nodded in reassurance.

"...The civilians were part of a self-defense class that developed basic chakra control and taught them to use light weaponry like senbon and kunai. I then asked them to present their weapons for inspection and during the hubbub, the person with the murderers senbon escaped down an alley. All I can tell you is that it was a young woman, in her twenties, wearing a white shirt and a white bandanna and she had brown hair. I didn't see her face."

She once again looked at Naruto, who was struggling with the machine, trying to figure out how it worked. He glanced up and gave her a big thumbs up before his face twisted into a comical look of frustration as he succeeded in filling his cup to the brim with sugar.

Hinata giggled behind her hand, prompting Sakura to turn around. She slapped her forehead and raised her eyes to the heavens, a grin of exasperation on her lips. She got up to help him, and Hinata slowly sat down, disappointed. She had wanted to help Naruto-kun and had even started to get up...

Sakura made her way over to Naruto, gently pushing his hand away from the cup and emptying it into the bin. She then began to instruct him on the proper way to use the coffee machine, and he grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head and nodding as he watched and learned.

Shikamaru turned back to face Hinata, snapping her out of her disappointed daze with a few quiet words. "You haven't told him yet, have you?"

"Huh? I-I... H-How...?"

"I know. It's obvious from the way you interact with him, and I think he knows it too, subconsciously at the most. Have you noticed how he doesn't chase Sakura around as much as he used to? But he needs to be told directly, he is a male and a rather dense one at that."

Hinata smiled. "I hope your right Shikamaru-san. But I'm not sure if I can..."

"When you're ready, you will. Even though your chances look pretty good, if he isn't on the same page as you are yet, at least you can rest easy, knowing that he knows, that you summoned up the courage to tell him and you won't spend your life thinking 'If only...'"

"Thank you." The pair shared a smile and glanced back at the detective and the officer. They were smiling and Naruto was holding a steaming cup of espresso. Sakura gave him an affectionate bop on the head before leading the way back to the couch.

_'I hope that day comes soon.'_

* * *

><p><strong>Ichiraku Ramen, Night<strong>

* * *

><p>It was late and Ayame was exhausted. After seeing off her best customers, she had waited one hour past closing time for any late night commuters after a nice hot meal, but to no avail.<p>

She sighed wistfully. _'Business is slow tonight, just like last night and the night before.' _She placed the last of the cooking pots inside the dishwasher and pressed the start button. She then proceeded to wipe down the counter, humming a nameless tune as she worked. Within moments, the small ramen stand was spotless, the various work surfaces gleaming like the day they had been installed. She grinned a small satisfied grin. Father would be pleased with how she'd been looking after the stand in his absence. He was returning from his chefs' conference in the next town in a little while, and she wanted everything to be perfect for when he got back.

She stretched and yawned widely, rolling her shoulders and appreciating Naruto's talent for massaging even more. Her shoulders no longer felt tight and her spine was relaxed, no longer tight and uncomfortable as it had been for the past few days.

Ayame reached out to the wooden folding doors to lock up for the night when she felt a sharp stab of pain at the base of her neck. She quickly clutched at the spot, wincing as the pain intensified. It felt like a dozen burning needles were being shoved into her neck.

As quickly as it started, the pain stopped. She gingerly probed the area, wary of setting off another wave of pain. She recalled Naruto saying there was a tattoo there, but she didn't remember getting one, though for some reason, she was convinced she had gotten a tattoo. She even knew in her mind what it looked like, though she was sure she'd never seen that design in a mirror. It was very confusing.

Her musings were interrupted by a strange voice. A strange voice that came out of nowhere and yet was talking to her. _"Ayame... Do you remember what it felt like to kill? To kill another human being?"_

Her eyes widened and she looked around for the source of the creepy voice. She could hear it in her mind, but it wasn't possible to hear voices in her head out of the blue like this right?

"W-Who are you? Where are you?"

_"I am with you, yet not by your side. I am in your mind, yet I am elsewhere at the same time. My name is not important. What is important is that you remember what you have done."_

"Remember wha-" she clutched her head as a multitude of images filled her mind. As if watching some sick first person horror film, she watched as seven men and women were murdered, _by her hand._

"What is this? I don't understand, why are you showing me this?"

_"These are the people you murdered. You killed them for money, using a simple extortion scheme I planted in your mind. Later, you collected the bounty money on their heads, all just to stop your restaurant from going bankrupt."_

"But this restaurant isn't going bankrupt! What are you-" she yelped in pain, her hand clamped around the burning brand the tattoo had become. The disembodied voice spoke again.

_"Everything I say is true Ayame. I held back the memories to keep suspicion off you, but that detective seems to have figured it out."_

_'Detective?' _"Are you talking about Naruto?"

_"Yes. My informant at the precinct has reported that Detective Uzumaki is on the verge of a breakthrough. He was in his 'pensive' mood."_

"So what do I do?"

_"Listen very closely..."_

* * *

><p><strong>7th Precinct Headquarters, Night<strong>

* * *

><p>Naruto gaze was fixed on the still black surface of his espresso, but those who were present knew he was far away, hidden inside the complex mire that was his mind. Sakura whispered to Hinata and Shikamaru, careful to not disturb the detective. Too much noise, and all those ideas and thoughts flew away like leaves in the wind.<p>

"So, who do we have on our suspect list?" Shikamaru pulled out a sheet of paper from the case file.

"As it stands right now, we suspect nearly everyone who is involved with noodles or ramen. This ranges from the ramen chefs to the noodle factory employees. We-"

"I've solved it, dattebayo." The trio around the couch instantly went silent at those words. While usually said with a bit more exuberance, that phrase meant that he was absolutely sure he had definitely cracked the case. And he was always right, no matter how far fetched his explanation may be.

"Go on, Naruto." said Sakura, leaning forward with anticipation. After a month on the case, she was looking forward to closing it.

"The person who killed the seven lieutenants of Takami Sayu is Ayame, the waitress at Ichiraku Ramen."

"What?" Hinata, Sakura and Shikamaru exclaimed simultaneously.

"It was Ayame-chan. She is the killer."

Outside the break room, carefully concealing her chakra signature for the entire duration of the meeting stood a short, blonde haired woman. She pushed up her glasses and closed her eyes, channeling chakra into the base of her neck, where a small tattoo was nestled inconspicuously. The black ink glowed a faint yellow before she felt the mental connection with her master.

"Master, he has identified the killer."

_"Is that so? Thank you. You have performed well tonight. I will suppress your memories for now, until I need you again."_

"Until next time master." she whispered. She quickly made her way to the back door and let herself out, counting down from thirty as she walked. She unlocked her car and slid into the front seat.

'_3, 2, 1...'_ her eyes went blank and she slumped at the wheel. As if waking from a dream, she blearily opened her eyes and glanced around.

"Huh? What am I doing here? I must have dozed off! Thank goodness I wasn't driving when it happened. I need stop working so late, it's messing with my internal clock." she turned the key in the ignition, placed her foot on the accelerator, and drove off into the night.

Back inside the break room, Naruto was explaining his reasoning. "Ayame-chan works in a ramen bar. That means she'd have knowledge on how to make fresh noodles, as they sometimes do for special dishes. Furthermore, Hinata-chan saw a girl carrying the exact type of senbon we were after, who was wearing a white shirt and a white bandana - Ayame-chan's waitress uniform. Ayame-chan had been returning from a self defense class, which explains her skills with senbon as Sae- as I saw when I went to Ichiraku's for lunch. She managed to pin a flying washcloth down with two senbon faster than I could see."

"I suppose that's reasonable but this is circumstantial at best Naruto." Detective Uzumaki held a finger to Sakura's lips and continued.

"I'm not finished. When I borrowed a scroll on molding chakra into weapons, I happened to see the list of previous borrowers at the end of the scroll. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but Ayames' name was on that list, a couple names above mine. And while this next bit truly is circumstantial, Ayame-chan looked really tired during my visit, like she hadn't been sleeping well. Considering that the murders took place in the early hours of the morning, I think that at least warrants suspicion."

"I-I think he's right. All of the facts seem to fit the evidence." murmured Hinata.

"I'm not entirely convinced, but given Naruto's track record, I think we should take a look."

Sakura nodded to the lazy officer. "Yeah, let's go check it out."

Naruto glanced up at the faces of his friends, a sad expression on his own. "We'll start at Ichiraku's but I really hope I'm wrong."

* * *

><p><strong>Main Street, Night<strong>

* * *

><p>Sakura was driving at top speed, her blaring siren parting the sea of cars on the large road. She pressed the accelerator further into the carpet, the sleek police cruiser sliding through the gaps in the traffic at top speed. Naruto and Hinata were in the back while Shikamaru was riding shotgun.<p>

Sakura addressed Naruto. "Are you sure you want to be here? I know she's you friend and all so this might be hard on you."

Naruto sighed wistfully, resting his head against the cool glass of the tinted window. "Sakura, I have seen and experienced things far worse than this. All I want is to know is why. If I don't find out the reason why she did all this, I won't be able to sleep soundly for a very long time."

Sakura nodded imperceptibly, her pink locks barely moving from the gentle action. She knew that feeling all too well and was determined to save Naruto from it. Putting on a burst of speed, she finally spotted Ichiraku Ramen, illuminated in a pool of amber light from a overhead street lamp. The time had come. The truth would be revealed.

* * *

><p><strong>Ichiraku Ramen, Midnight<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"...When I leave your mind, all evidence of my presence will be erased. Unfortunately, you were only a tool with which to complete my objectives. You have my thanks though for services rendered. Rest assured that you did a great job, if not perfect. There were still a few more of Takami's people I needed to 'convince' you to kill. Oh well..."<em>

A laugh echoed through the brunettes' mind, and her panicked, terrified look took on an indignant edge. "That's not helping me! I'm better off telling Naruto everything! He'll believe me, he'll find out who you are!"

The sound of a police siren broke through the silence of the night, growing closer with each passing moment. _"As I said before, as far as you know, I never existed. All you shall be left with are some false memories that say you murdered those all those people of you own accord."_

"But how-"

_"Goodbye Ayame, it was a pleasure doing business with you."_ Suddenly, the brand on the back of her neck began to burn, and she clutched at her neck in agony, tears flowing down her face as she screamed out for help.

Outside the cruiser slid to a halt, skidding across the tarmac for a good five meters before stopping in front of the restaurant in a perfect parallel park. Naruto was the first one to exit the vehicle. "Sakura, can you give me a few minutes with her? I need to know why she did it. Besides, she'll talk to me, she trusts me. She knows I'm a friend."

"Fine, do your thing, just yell when you're finished or if she makes a break for it." replied the irate pinkette. Detective Uzumaki nodded, motioning for Hinata to wait as he slammed the door shut. She slumped disappointedly in her seat, although she understood it was for the best. In times of stress, first time killers responded better to people they knew, and having more than one person against them in the room could cause them to lash out in fear and panic. She watched as Naruto ducked under the curtains, praying he would be alright.

As he entered, the screaming that his keen ears had picked up from inside the police car grew louder. He recognized the voice and cautiously traced it back behind the counter. There he was met by the sight of Ayame curled up on the floor in a fetal position, holding her neck as her screams of pain slowly quieted down to pitiful moans.

His eyes widening, he appeared at the side of his precious person instantaneously, gently maneuvering her head onto his lap. He rolled Ayame onto her back, making sure her head was elevated off the ground and on his leg. He stroked her dark brown hair as she squinted through the pain coursing from her mark. "W-Who's there?"

"It's me, Naruto."

"Naruto-kun?" her eyes widened and she clutched desperately to the front of his jacket. "Naruto-kun, there's something I have to tell you, before he makes me forget!"

_'Who's_ 'he'?' thought Naruto."What is it?"

"I didn't- ugh!" Ayame stiffened and her eyes went blank. All traces of emotion fell from her features, the panic and anxiety from a few moments ago cast away like water off a ducks' back.

"Ayame-chan!" the brunette slowly sat up, blinking as she started to re-orientate herself. As she sat up, Naruto found himself staring at the weird tattoo, which was glowing a faint yellow and quickly fading, erasing itself from her skin.

"Naruto-kun, what am I doing on the floor?" she asked in a monotone. She glanced back at him with a confused expression on her face. Naruto replied with a shocked look of his own.

"Don't you remember? A moment ago I found you in pain on the ground, holding your neck and screaming! And then you tried to tell me something and you went all stiff and expressionless..." Ayame shook her head.

"I-I don't remember. But I do have something to tell you Naruto-kun," she stood up slowly and gazed down at him. "I killed those people. I killed the people who worked for Takami Sayu."

Naruto sighed and hoisted himself back onto his feet. He didn't understand what was going on, but he was getting what he came for. "But why?" he asked.

"Money," she replied simply. "Ichiraku's isn't doing so well these days and we... I thought this was the only way."

"We? Is old man Teuchi in on this as well?"

"No! I meant me! He doesn't know, and when he asked once or twice where the extra money was coming from, I told him it was from part time jobs like cleaning and babysitting."

Naruto rubbed at his eyes tiredly. "So you admit to it huh? I guess I was right, no matter how badly I wished I was wrong." he ducked under the curtains and motioned to Sakura, who quickly exited her vehicle followed by Hinata. Shikamaru opted to remain in the car, not wanting to involve himself in messy emotional matters such as this. As Naruto turned back to Ayame, he was surprised to find her standing directly in front of him, tears coursing down her cheeks.

She held out her arms and he embraced her. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun." she whispered in his ear. Naruto did not respond with words, instead holding her tighter as her tears began to soak his jacket.

"I'll take it from here Naruto." Naruto stepped aside, releasing Ayame as Sakura handcuffed the brunette and led her back to the squad car. A quick trial and a long sentence in jail were all she could look forward to. After seating Ayame in the back seat of the car, Sakura nodded to Naruto and Hinata, who was standing next to the blonde and holding his hand as the squad car began to pull away. Ayame gazed back at the pair through the back window and smiled sadly. Naruto returned the smile, watching as the vehicle slowly disappeared into the night.

He jumped when a taxi pulled up to the curb and Ayame's father stepped out of the front passenger seat. Collecting his bags from the trunk, he noticed Naruto and Hinata and gave the two a bright smile.

"Ah, a welcoming committee! Good to see you Naruto, Hinata-san! Is Ayame-chan around?"

"I have something to tell you Teuchi. Do you .?docid=27328961ind walking with me?" As the two stepped around the corner, Hinata sighed. Poor Naruto had lost another of his precious people, and she knew how much Ayame meant to him. After all, she was the one who introduced an eight year old Naruto to ramen when she found him wandering the streets, starving and scared soon after he got his own apartment.

Around the side of the restaurant, Naruto had finished his tale, and was anxiously awaiting Teuchi's response. "I understand if you're angry, or if you hate me and you have every right to do so."

Teuchi glanced at him, shocked that he had said such a thing. "Naruto, there's nothing you could say that would make me hate you, unless you told me my ramen was terrible."

Failing to lift the downcast expression of the young man in front of him, Teuchi sighed and continued. "You were just doing your job, and what she was doing had to be stopped. I'm sad that things turned out like this, but I'm glad that you were the one to stop her, and not one of those shoot first, ask questions later type police officers."

"Thank you Teuchi," he bowed to the older man. "How will you cope without Ayame-chan? She told me you were struggling to keep the restaurant open. Is there anything I can do?"

"Just stop by like you usually do and keep me company eh? I'll get lonely working in the kitchen all by myself."

"I promise." replied Naruto. With that, he waved goodbye and returned to Hinata. Teuchi watched him go, his forced smile slipping from his face.

_'Naruto, if I allowed you to help, you wouldn't like what you'd have to do, but I know that you'd do it. A selfless boy like yourself, who only thinks of others would stop coming by my restaurant if I asked you to, not that I would of course. So to spare your feelings, I'm afraid you can't help me. The next few years are going to be very difficult.'_ shaking his head, Teuchi entered his ramen stand from the back entrance, preparing to go home for the night and visit his daughter in jail first thing in the morning.

* * *

><p><strong>Uzumaki ~ Detective Chronicles: <strong>Case One - The Innocent Killer


	5. Chapter Five: A Lost Friend

**Uzumaki ~ Detective Chronicles**

* * *

><p>Chapter Five: Case Two - A Lost Friend<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Kamaboko Crescent, Evening<strong>

* * *

><p>Night had fallen over the streets of Konoha. A little girl was making her way home from a friend's house, thoroughly regretting not taking up their mothers' offer to walk her back home. It was only a short way from her friend's house to her own, but still...<p>

The streets were silent and dark, the moon hidden behind thick storm clouds ready to burst at any moment. The little girl shivered as she began to run, sprinting past the dark patches in between the rows of street lights, lingering in the pools of light that they made. About twenty meters away she could see her apartment block. She sighed with relief.

Crack! Lightning split the sky, thunder at its heels, tearing through the dark clouds and forcing them to release their watery cargo. The rain poured down heavily and within moments, the girl was soaked. Her black shirt with the red spiral on the front clung to her body, making her feel even colder as a strong wind began to blow through the streets.

She increased her speed, her destination just five meters away. Daddy wouldn't be happy that she was out so late in the rain, but she knew he would be waiting for her on the couch with two mugs of hot chocolate and her favorite book.

Her feet struck the pavement in front of the entrance to her apartment building. She stopped to quickly check her pockets for her keys. One hand closed upon a laminated card, a gift from her nii-chan while the other found her elusive keys. Removing the keys from her pocket, she proceeded to unlock the front door when a black sedan pulled up behind her, windshield wipers working furiously against the now torrential downpour.

The little girl paid it no mind, returning her focus to the door. Finding the key hole was difficult in the dark. The sound of a car door opening reached her ears, and she began to turn around when something solid impacted with the back of her head. Her head jerked forward and she cried out in pain, dropping her keys as she clutched her aching skull. A final blow to the top of her head sent her to the ground, cracking her left cheekbone as it hit the pavement.

The pain didn't register in her mind as the little girl slipped into unconsciousness. "Father... Nii-chan... Help..." her amber eyes closed as two pairs feet stopped by her head. The two people were dressed in white cloaks, one wearing boots while the other was in high heels. The one in boots, the taller of the two, knelt down and placed their fingers to the girls' neck.

"She's alive." the gruff voice of a man who smoked regularly replied.

"Idiot!" the shorter of the two, the woman in high heels slapped the kneeling man on the head. "I wanted you to knock her out in one strike, not use her head as a piñata!"

The man stood up and casually tossed a plank of wood onto the front steps of the little girls' home. "She's out cold isn't she?"

"Bastard! Just help me get her into the car!" the large man easily scooped up the prone girl into his arms, tossing her unceremoniously into the backseat of the car. The woman glared angrily as she entered the vehicle after the girl, slamming the door behind her. The man sighed and sloshed his way over to the driver's side. As soon as the door closed, the black car took off into the night, a spray of water flying from the back wheels.

As the car disappeared around a corner, the front door of the apartment building opened. Light spilled out onto the pavement as a man in his forties stuck his head out into the rain. His grey hair quickly plastered to his head, as he squinted though the nearly solid wall of rain. "Where is she?" he muttered to himself. As he was about to close the door, he noticed the glint of silver coming from the path. He stepped out into the rain and knelt down, eyes widening in horror.

He grabbed the keys, checking the little plush animal on the key ring. As he feared, the animal was a very soggy orange fox. He clutched the keys tightly in his hand, quickly rushing inside the building and up the stairs to the highest apartment in the building. His little girl was missing and there was only one person who could help him. He reached the front door and banged on it desperately.

A few moments later, the door slowly creaked open. "Hey, hey, what's the big idea?" said the blonde haired young man behind the door, rubbing at his eyes exhaustedly. The man wasted no time with greetings. "Naruto-san, Reiko is missing!" The detective's eyes widened and he gestured for the man to enter.

"Tell me what happened."

* * *

><p><strong>Uzumaki Naruto's Apartment, Early Morning (Ten Hours Earlier)<strong>

* * *

><p>Uzumaki Naruto was lying on his couch, sprawled out across all three seats. He groaned as his eyes once again sought the three communicators waiting innocently on his coffee table. Each one looked the same, a small black box with a screen, keypad and a large red button on the side. Once again he had gotten them mixed up and was unsure of which two-way communicator was connected to one of his three contacts.<p>

One was linked to Hinata's, another to Sakura's and the last was a direct connection to Takami Sayu._ 'It's 8am on a Saturday, I should be relaxing until Hinata picks me up at 9 o'clock but... I promised Sakura-chan and Sayu that I'd schedule a day out with both of them! What do I do? I can only make time for one of them; the next time I can afford to skip a day of work will be in a month!'_

His hands gripped the sides of his head in frustration, his indecision and panic growing with each passing moment. _'I have to spend time with one of them, I promised! But how do I decide? Besides, how do I know which communicator contacts which girl? I know Hinata won't pick up when she's driving,' _he shivered unconsciously before continuing. _'So I can't use the process of elimination on at least one of them, and I still haven't decided who I want to spend the day with in the first place! Plus, if Sakura finds out I ditched her for Takami Sayu, well...' _he gulped loudly as he thought of all the pain he would undoubtedly go through.

"Ngh!" he sat up and rested his head on his hands, elbows digging into his legs. "Shikamaru is so right, women are troublesome!" a small grin crept onto his face as he noticed a certain copy of Police Precinct Weekly sitting on his coffee table from the corner of his eye. _'Still, the world wouldn't be as fun without them.'_

He rapidly shook his head, clearing away the unwanted thoughts. He was _not_ going to be like Ero-Sensei. That washed up old pervert of a detective had tried unsuccessfully to bring Naruto to the dark side many times during their three years together, but Naruto had stood firm. He was not about to go down that road and be branded as super perv's 'assistant researcher'.

Naruto was shaken from his thoughts when the screen on the middle communicator began to flash, as a simple ringtone began to play from the small speakers. He picked up the small device, pressing the red button and holding it to his ear. "Hello?" he said, a small amount of trepidation in his voice.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun." said the voice of Takami Sayu.

_'-Kun? She called me 'Naruto-kun'?'_

"Ah, hi Sayu-chan. How are you?"

"I am fine Naruto-kun. I was just calling to enquire about our little date. You have not contacted me since the night of the arrest of the ramen waitress nearly a week ago."

_'Date? That was very forward!'_

"Uh yeah, sorry about that. I have three communicators and they all look the same and I wasn't sure which one was yours and-"

"I see. So why didn't you call each one to find out who they were linked to?"

Naruto chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, it's a little more complicated than that... Anyway, are you free today?"

"Why yes I am, right now in fact. So shall I pick you up in an hour?"

"Generally the guy picks up the girl for a date you know."

"While that may be true, you are the only guy who doesn't know how to drive."

"Hey!" Naruto replied indignantly.

The sound of Sayu's laughter echoed through the speakers. Despite the slight against his manliness, Naruto found himself laughing as well. That was the melodious laugh of the girl he knew twelve years ago.

"Sure thing, Sayu-chan. I'll see you in an hour."

"I look forward to it, Naruto-kun." the line went dead as she hung up. Naruto removed the communicator from his ear, placing it firmly in his back pocket. That call sorted out both of his problems. He just had to figure out which of the remaining two were connected to Hinata and Sakura and then he could place some identifying marker on each one. He felt a little bad for Sakura though. He'd have to wait a month before he could take her out to lunch or something. He and Hinata had some catching up to do with their case files and evidence bags from previous cases; the paperwork was steadily building up. Between that and the next case, of which Naruto was sure was around the corner, there simply wasn't any time to be hanging out with Sakura.

_'Ah well, that's the way it goes.'_ with that, he picked up one of the two communicators and steeled himself for what could be a very awkward call. He'd tell Sakura the truth though; he just hoped he'd be allowed to live the next time they met. With shaking hands, he pressed the red call button and waited, hoping against hope that his cute assistant would be on the other end of the line.

* * *

><p><strong>Outside Uzumaki Naruto's Apartment, Morning (Nine Hours Earlier)<strong>

* * *

><p>Hinata parked her small silver hatchback in front of the door that led to Naruto's apartment. She glanced around surprised. Normally, there would be a fair amount of traffic on the road, but this morning Kamaboko Crescent was empty, devoid of life save for her.<p>

She unbuckled her seat belt and checked her communicator. She never noticed Naruto's calls when she was driving since she was 'in the zone', nothing but herself, her car and that delicious sense of speed. That rush when she was driving at ridiculously high speeds couldn't be matched by anything. _'Well, except for a date with Naruto-kun.'_ she thought with a blush.

As her fingers pressed the power button and the screen lit up, she was shocked to find two missed calls and a message. She quickly selected the scroll icon and it unfurled, filling the screen and revealing the messages. Pressing the 'Select' button, a scroll marked 'Naruto' unrolled and expanded to fill the screen. The message was short and rife with errors.

_Hinata-chan, sorry about the mistakes, you need to show me how to type capital letters on this thing. Am spending the day with Takami Sayu. She is picking me up in an hour, so in case you're late, you know where I am. I know you won't see this until you get here so I hope you won't be mad. I've decided that today is a day off for us, so feel free to spend the day anyway you like. Will talk to you soon. _

_Naruto._

The heavy feeling of depression filled Hinata's mind. The feeling of rejection and abandonment was like a physical weight on her heart. What was she to do? Without Naruto, she... She couldn't enjoy any day without being at his side. And yet, he chose to spend the one free day they had with that... That criminal Takami!

An unfamiliar feeling of anger welled up in her chest. The thought of Takami Sayu stealing away her Naruto-kun got even her blood boiling. The normally mild mannered girl jammed her communicator viciously back into her pocket, and started her car. Hinata wasn't going to let that Takami woman corrupt Naruto and she knew exactly who to talk to about dealing with the situation. With determination and a steely resolve, she sped down the now traffic congested street towards the home of Officer Haruno Sakura.

* * *

><p><strong>Main Street, Morning (Eight and a Half Hours Earlier)<strong>

* * *

><p>Naruto sighed and gazed out of his window. His arm rested on the door of the black limousine, and he glanced once again at the back of Saeko's head as she drove Naruto and Sayu to their destination. She hadn't said one to him, instead nodding silently with a polite yet empty smile when he greeted her enthusiastically.<p>

Following the awkward exchange, Saeko rushed to open the doors, moving calmly yet quickly, revealing again a gracefulness that only she possessed. Sayu entered first, followed by the off-duty detective. As the car smoothly drifted away from the curb, Sayu pulled out a rather strange looking communicator and began a long but quiet conversation with whoever was on the other end of the line. Naruto noticed that the usual traffic on his street at this time was absent; Sayu must have blocked the roads for her own safety. There were plenty of people who were after her, and they could attack at any time. The blonde made note of the various armed guards hidden amongst the rooftops at strategic points, just another reminder that Sayu wasn't someone to be trifled with.

Naruto watched as they passed by Ichiraku's. Through the shops' curtain he could see Teuchi, polishing his countertop, looking wearier than the last time Naruto had dropped by. Ayame being locked up had hit both of them hard, but more so for the ramen chef. Watching their daughter being arrested and later visiting her in jail was something that no father would ever want to do. Plus, good help was hard to come by, and Ayame was the best. Not to mention she was probably the reason why most young males tended to drop by for a bowl of ramen, yet leave them almost untouched once they left an hour or so later.

As the limousine drove by, Teuchi looked up hopefully. Naruto waved, before remembering that the windows were tinted so that they were one way. He slumped back in his seat, the feeling of guilt that had been with him since the night of the arrest growing in his heart.

They travelled for a few moments in relative silence, broken only by Sayu's communicator conversation. They turned off Main Street and headed down one of its' numerous side roads, the sleek black car smoothly navigating through the narrow streets. As Takami ended her call, the car slowed to a stop in front of a rather grandiose restaurant. Sayu indicated for Naruto to exit the vehicle with an equally empty smile to that of her bodyguard and a wave of her hand, while Saeko opened her door for her.

As Naruto and Sayu headed through the sliding paper doors of the establishment, Naruto noticed Saeko standing to attention next to the car, her katana and wakizashi once again strapped to her back and waist. Her bright red scarf whipped about in the faint breeze, the only movement apart from her blinking eyes indicating that she was not a mannequin placed by the vehicles' side.

"Isn't Saeko joining us?" asked Naruto.

"She is not. Today, it is just you and me."

Naruto once again felt a feeling of dread settle in his stomach. He definitely felt safer with the blade wielding woman outside than the unarmed one leading him into a potentially dangerous location.

He sighed and readjusted his goggles. Since when did he get so paranoid?

* * *

><p><strong>Niwa no Momo, Morning (Eight Hours Earlier)<strong>

* * *

><p>A smartly dressed waiter led the pair through what had to be the fanciest restaurant Naruto had ever visited. The wooden floors were polished until they shone, reflecting the light from the ornate lanterns above. Low tables were scattered around the restaurant, dark oak slabs that were sunk into the ground, with large cushions placed neatly at the sides for the patrons. The whole place was rather dim, lit by red and blue candles left on tables and in sconces on the walls.<p>

The waiter stopped before a pair of wooden doors framed by two potted bonsai trees. A peacock had been carved into the wood, painted with subtle colours and polished thoroughly. The bird was centred between the two doors and was perfectly symmetrical. Even the intricately carved feathers on its wide spread tail had a perfect mirror image on the opposite door.

The waiter slid the two wooden doors apart, splitting the peacock in half. He then moved off to the side and bowed respectfully until Naruto and Sayu had entered the wide booth. He closed the door behind them and made his way to the kitchen.

Naruto eyed the closed portals. They didn't look too heavy, and if the worst was to happen, he could always smash through the delicate door should he need to escape in a hurry. He hoped it wouldn't come to that. That peacock on the door must have taken a lot of effort to design and carve.

Sayu cleared her throat, instantly regaining Naruto's attention. She flipped her long cocoa brown hair over her shoulder, her hazel eyes meeting his blue ones unblinkingly. "Naruto-kun, you must be wondering why I asked you out to brunch."

_'There she goes with the '-kun' suffix again! Does this mean she's acknowledging our childhood friendship? She almost seems to have forgotten how close we once were.'_

Naruto nodded once, a slight movement of his head indicating his agreement. "Yeah, well, I was planning to call you some time and arrange something but there was the problem with communicators and well... I was a little worried."

"Worried? How so?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Well Sakura-chan doesn't seem to trust you, and I think she's convinced that you've manipulated me during our previous meeting in some way. I believe she thinks that you've managed to get me on your side, and that she needs to keep an eye on us."

"Really? Well I could always have her dealt with, should you require it."

"NO! You can't kill her!"

"It was a joke Naruto-kun."

Naruto crossed his arms and pouted childishly. "I think your sense of humour is twisted, Sayu-chan!" he grumbled.

Sayu placed her delicate fingers on her lips as she laughed at his antics. "Ah, Naruto-kun, how I have missed you!" a genuine smile formed on her lips, prompting a wide grin from Naruto.

"Yeah, I missed you too; life wasn't the same in the orphanage after you left." Sayu hesitantly reached over the table and placed her hand over his, staring into his eyes with an apologetic and sympathetic look. He smiled back warmly until she quickly wrenched her hand from his, sitting up straight and resuming her former coldness. Naruto blinked in surprise, feeling slightly hurt.

Sayu's icy shell of indifference had broken for a moment, and it was strange to watch her abruptly return to her emotionless state. Sayu turned to the door and rung a small bell she had produced out of thin air. The peacock doors slid open and two waiters walked in, bearing trays laden with various bowls and platters of steaming ramen and sushi.

The pair of waiters arranged the bowls in the centre of the table, bowing respectfully to Sayu as they backed out of the booth and slid the doors shut. Sayu returned her attention to Naruto, relaxing and smiling casually. "My apologies Naruto-kun, I have to maintain appearances. You understand do you not?"

"Y-yeah," said Naruto, "I see you haven't forgotten my favorite type of ramen."

"Of course. I saw you eat miso ramen nearly every day for three years, how could I forget?"

Silence fell over the low table as they quietly whispered "Itadakimasu!" and began to eat. Naruto took his first bite and his eyes widened in surprise - this was a bowl of ramen that could contest with Ichiraku's!

Sayu delicately maneuvered a piece of sushi into a bowl of wasabi with her chopsticks. She glanced up at Naruto after consuming the fishy treat. "Now Naruto-kun, as I said before, you must be wondering about my true intention behind this date."

Naruto's mouth was full to bursting so he simply nodded. Sayu smirked before continuing. "I want you to work for me."

Naruto, who had been in the act of swallowing his mouthful of ramen, began to choke. After a minute of coughing and spluttering, he managed to regain his composure. "What? Why do you need me? I work on the other side of the law!"

"I'm not asking you to join my organization, I'm asking you to fulfil your promise to me."

"My promise?"

"Do you remember the day we met Naruto?"

"Y-Yeah..."

* * *

><p><strong>Konoha City Orphanage, Morning (Fifteen Years Ago)<strong>

* * *

><p>Uzumaki Naruto was not having a good day. Once again he had tried to join the other orphanage kids in their games and again had received a severe pummelling for his troubles. "Traitor!" "Scum!" They had yelled at him, before knocking him to the ground and kicking him repeatedly in the stomach.<p>

He was currently situated in a tree that stood just outside the window in his room. His room was on the top floor of the orphanage. Though 'room' was too kind a word. Naruto lived in the orphanage's dusty attic, the only place that the people who worked at the orphanage would give him. He sat there on the tree branch, wide enough to hold two children sitting side by side, yet he was sitting there alone. He sniffed and wiped the blood from his nose with his sleeve. The tears had stopped coming years ago, or at least, what seemed like years ago. Naruto had been forced to grow up in a short amount of time, as it was the only way for him to stay alive. Every time he tried to play with the other kids, it became more of a half-hearted attempt with each try.

"Umm... E-Excuse me? H-hi." Naruto looked down. Below him, at the foot of the tree, stood a girl around his age, clutching a small, ragged, soft toy. Naruto looked at her curiously. Not many people _voluntarily _spoke to him, let alone were _polite_ to him whilst speaking.

The girl blushed under the scrutiny of the boys' bright blue eyes, gazing at her with something akin to shock. She hugged the soft toy closer to her chest and spoke in a quiet voice. "This is Kitsune-chan. We're new here." Naruto regarded her cautiously. New or not, he'd better stay on his guard in case this was another cruel prank. But, for some strange reason, he got the feeling that it wasn't. The girl seemed... Too delicate... Too innocent... To be involved in such matters.

He jumped down from the tree. The girl gasped as he did so; the branch he had been sitting on was quite high. But the blonde landed silently, and walked towards her like nothing unusual had happened.

The girl was understandably nervous. This was her first time in a public orphanage after the private one her parents had funded was burned down. But she wasn't afraid. As the boy walked over, he had the widest, most sincere grin on his face that seemed to dispel any worries she had.

The boy stopped in front of her and clasped his hands behind his head. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! And someday, I'm going to be Hokage!" he struck a heroic pose, managing to look both serious and ridiculous at the same time.

The young brunette giggled and lowered her toy fox from in front of her face to speak. "I'm Takami Sayu..." she gazed about thoughtfully and then grinned widely enough to match Naruto's. "And if you'll let me, I want to be your friend!"

Naruto's eyes widened to comical proportions and his mouth dropped open in shock. Here was a girl that had just met him, and did not instantly hate him for something he had no control over. Instead she wanted to befriend him!

Naruto's grin returned full force and he stuck his hand out towards her. "I'd like that," he said. "I've got a feeling this is the start of a beautiful friendship!"

She hesitantly gripped his hand, and nodded happily.

And just like that, Uzumaki Naruto made his first friend.

A few days later, and it seemed Naruto's prediction was true. Sayu had turned out to be a wonderful person, and Naruto's life had turned for the better. Sayu too was happy, though she did not understand why the other kids ignored, and talked so poorly about Naruto, regardless if he was in the room or not.

She asked Naruto about it once before, but he was strangely evasive, instead distracting her with a joke. The blonde had decided that he wouldn't tell Sayu about his father, the very reason he was hated by so many. He would wait until she thought she could handle the truth. He didn't want to lose his only friend to the man who made his life miserable without even being in it.

Naruto didn't know his father's name, and no one was bothered enough to tell him. All he knew was that he had been the Yondaime Hokage and had betrayed Konoha. When Naruto was two, his father had called an emergency meeting with the City Council in his office. That meeting had consisted of the heads of the various clans of Konoha, including the leaders of the Uchiha, Hyuga and Takami clans. The Yondaime attacked and killed 22 members of the council, killing all but the Uchiha and Hyuga representatives, who managed to escape.

Sayu's father had been killed in the incident, and her mother, who had been accompanying him, had gone missing. The Yondaime Hokage stole vital documents containing a multitude of secrets about Konoha City and fled, smashing through the wide windows of the Hokage's office and vanished into the night, leaving poor Naruto on the blood stained floor of the office, surrounded by bodies. The blonde boy was found asleep and drenched with blood amongst the carnage the next morning.

When the boy was returned to his home, the investigators were shocked to find Naruto's home had become a scene of devastation. The back wall of the house had been blown outwards by some form of explosion, dried blood stained the walls in copious amounts and Naruto's mother, Uzumaki Kushina was missing, presumed dead.

The people of Konoha were outraged by the crime perpetrated by their beloved Hokage. The information he stole contained the very secrets that kept the city safe. Those secrets were now in the hands of a murderer, and could be changing hands with the enemies of the Land of Fire. There had been rumours that someone in the City Council was selling secrets to Iwa City in the Land of Earth. With the actions of the Hokage, the blame fell on him.

Initially, the citizens were unable to believe that the Yondaime Hokage, one of the kindest and most promising Hokage, could do such a thing. As time passed, reality set in and the man once known as the greatest Hokage there ever was became public enemy number one. The people were filled with hate and rage, and were unable to release it upon the one who deserved it. So poor young Naruto, as the son of the former Hokage, was forced to shoulder the blame.

As Naruto grew up, and proved his worth as a detective, the citizens realized that he was not his father, and grudgingly began to let go of their anger. However, those of the older generations, who were more set in their ways, never forgave Naruto for the crime he did not commit, still attempting to cause him grief even in his adult life.

But during his painful, dark childhood, Naruto had one thing that stopped him from going insane. His one and only friend, Takami Sayu. Sure, since she chose to befriend him, she too was targeted. But Naruto was always quick to defend her, and would often find himself waking from unconsciousness after a beating cradled in Sayu's lap.

After the latest incident with the kids of the orphanage, Naruto's eyes opened slowly, and he blinked away the blurriness that was obscuring the face of his best friend. Sayu gently stroked his hair, supporting his head on her lap as he lay sprawled across the floor of their room in the attic. He sat up slowly, wincing as his various injuries sent sharp bolts of pain through his body. He maneuvered himself until he could lean back on the wall next to Sayu, and slowly turned towards her, expecting her usual barrage of questions. Surprisingly, none were forthcoming.

Sayu was studying his badly battered face, infinite sadness evident in her eyes. "Naruto-kun, why did you take that beating for me?" she whispered.

"Because you're my best friend! I'd hate to see you get hurt because of me." he grinned, wincing as a cut on his cheek reopened.

Sayu shook her head slowly. "Are you ever going to tell me why they treat you like this?"

Naruto leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. "Maybe someday, Sayu-chan, but not now."

She nodded again and leaned her head on his shoulder. "You don't deserve this."

"Neither do you. But until the day comes that they'll leave us alone, I promise to protect you, now and forever. Because you are the only good and precious person in my life."

Sayu blushed faintly. "And I promise to always be there for you, no matter what. But if we are separated, know that you are the only person in my heart, now and forever." Naruto smiled softly and rested his head on top of hers.

Sitting there together, finding peace in each other's presence, the two friends fell sound asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Niwa no Momo, Late Morning (Present Day)<strong>

* * *

><p>"Was that the promise you were talking about?" asked Naruto, gazing subdued into his empty bowl. Sayu too seemed faraway, lost in the memories of their past.<p>

"I am surprised you remembered that one. But no, Naruto-kun, I'm talking about the one that came after. The promise of a life we made to each other on my sixth birthday."

"I remember. The promise we made to each find the other's mother and reunite them."

Sayu resumed her rather business like exterior, hiding that one moment of weakness. "Yes Naruto-kun. In your capacity as a top notch detective, finding my mother will be a simple task. Likewise, with my connections, tracing your mother from the time of her apparent death should be more within my capabilities."

"Why didn't you try to find your mother before? With your resources, you could have located her years ago."

"A part of me, one that is locked away deep inside my heart, remembered the blonde-haired, blue-eyed ball of sunshine that helped me through the darkest times of my life. No matter how hard I tried to be completely emotionless and distant, there was that one part of me that yearned to see you, so I could be the person I once was. Holding you to your promise gave me hope that I would see you again, since you never go back on your word."

"I'm glad you did. I missed you so much when they took you away. Where did you go?"

Sayu once again leaned across the table and held his hand. "The day that elderly man came to the orphanage and took me away, he introduced himself as my loyal servant. That was Saeko's grandfather. He brought me back to the Takami mansion and told me that I would be trained to take over the family 'business'."

"They started teaching you to be the head of organized crime at the age of eight?"

"Yes, they believed I was ready for what they called 'mental preparation'. In just three days, they ruined my childhood and forced me to grow up. In two years, I was the person you see today, ready to take over as head of the Takami family."

Naruto clasped her hand in both of his. "I'm sorry."

"Your sympathy is unwarranted. That was many years ago. Tell me Naruto-kun, what happened to you after I left?"

"When you left, life at the orphanage became unbearable. A month later, the Third Hokage moved me to my current apartment to protect me from the children and the citizens of Konoha. After three years of living by myself, with only the Ichiraku Ramen staff as my friends, I finally joined the Police Academy. But something wasn't right; I didn't feel like it was for me. The way the police solved crimes was different from how I wanted to. Naturally I didn't do so well, I was dead last in fact. But I made two friends, my teammates who would have been my partners at a precinct if we graduated together. Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke. During our second year, Sasuke's parents were murdered by his elder brother Itachi. He wasn't the same after that. Sasuke defected from the Academy shortly after, saying that the police were useless and corrupt, after they failed to find his brother. Last I heard, he had formed a vigilante gang named Taka and is currently hunting down Itachi, to get revenge, though he calls it 'justice'."

"I see. Life didn't get much better for you did it?"

Sayu was surprised when Naruto suddenly grinned. "Oh it did. I dropped out of the Academy during my final year, when I was fourteen. The day I left, an old washed up detective named Jiraiya returned to the city. We met; he seemed convinced that I would make a better detective than an officer after one conversation with me and offered to take me on a three year training trip. I didn't have anything else to do so I said yes. He taught me so much and he was right - being a detective was my true calling. When we got back, the people weren't as angry at me as they used to be, and when I started helping them by solving crimes, most of the residents started to see me for who I was, an average detective, rather than the son of a traitor."

"You are too modest Naruto-kun; there hasn't been one case you haven't solved." Naruto smiled and scratched the back of his head.

"Aww, I'm not that good, my assistant Hyuga Hinata helped me solve nearly all of them."

"When did you start working with this Hyuga Hinata?"

"About five months after I returned from the training trip, I went to her house to ask if her cousin wanted to join my newly formed Detective Agency. I found her after her father had beaten her and took her in, to protect her. That's how she became my assistant, and she truly is the best assistant I could have ever asked for."

"I see," she locked eyes with Naruto, a genuine look of disappointment in her eyes. "I am afraid, Naruto-kun that our time is up. I must get back to a meeting with some potential clients."

"O-Oh, OK."

Sayu stood up from her seat, prompting Naruto to stand as well. "I enjoyed myself today Naruto-kun. We should organize another date soon."

"I'd like that. It's great to see you again, Sayu-chan."

Sayu smiled and clasped his hand warmly in a rare act of honest emotion. "Likewise. I am afraid I will have to leave you here; I will be late for my meeting if I drop you back at your apartment."

"That's alright, I'll walk."

After one last goodbye, Sayu drove off, leaving Naruto outside Niwa no Momo. He slowly made his way back home, a smile gracing his features as he watched the sleek black limosine vanish around the corner.

* * *

><p><strong>Uzumaki Naruto's Apartment Building, Afternoon (Five Hours Earlier)<strong>

* * *

><p>Naruto and Hinata were making their way up the short flight of stairs to Naruto's apartment on the top floor of the building. Hinata had found him walking home when she had been driving slowly and aimlessly around Konoha City, a rare occurrence. After Naruto got in the car however, her daredevil instincts returned, and poor Naruto was left pale, wide-eyed and shivering once they arrived.<p>

Hinata had been strangely quiet, well, more quiet than usual. Aside from asking if Naruto had had a good time, she barely said a word. Naruto knew she wasn't upset though, due the fact that as they neared the end of their ride, a small smile had appeared on her lips, and for some reason, he knew it wasn't because of the reckless driving.

_'Hinata-chan is too dependent on me. While it's cute in a way, if something happens to me, I don't know what she'll do. I need to start building up her confidence, it's for her own good.' _thought Naruto as he walked hand-in-hand with white eyed girl he worried so much about.

"Um, Naruto-kun...?"

"Yes Hinata-chan?" he could feel her hesitating, and squeezed her hand comfortingly. Hinata closed her eyes and smiled. She opened her mouth to speak as they reached the second to last landing on the stairwell.

_'Is it right to ask him?'_ she bit her lip as she deliberated over the situation. _'Will he get angry if I ask him if he is in a relationship with Takami Sayu? But I need to know, and Naruto-kun is very open... Yes, I will ask!'_

"N-Naruto-kun, I just wanted to know-" Hinata's timid voice was cut off by an excited squeal.

"Naruto-nii-chan!" the detective duo turned to see a girl of about ten years of age standing outside of an open door to an apartment. She had short black hair that reached her chin and a fringe that covered her forehead. Two long strands of hair jutted out at odd angles on top her head and she had bright amber eyes, positively glistening with happiness. Hinata noticed she was wearing a shirt that was similar to one that Naruto owned when he was young; a simple black t-shirt with a red swirl on the front.

The little girl rushed up the narrow corridor, arms outstretched. Naruto knelt down on one knee and held his own arms wide open, the biggest grin he could possibly manage nearly splitting his face. The little girl ran into his arms, laughing as Naruto picked her up and swung her around in circles, nearly knocking Hinata back down the stairs.

"Reiko-chan!"

_'More competition? And they look like they're having fun too.' _If not for Shikamaru's words of encouragement back at the precinct a week ago, she would have started to lose hope. Back when they were young, and only she could see Naruto for what he was, life was easier, even if she never had the courage to speak to him.

_'But now that everyone knows how wonderful Naruto-kun is, it seems like everyone wants him. Oh, I really need to try harder or I'll never be with him!' _

Oblivious to Hinata's troubles, Naruto set the little girl down, chuckling as she dizzily stumbled around.

"It's been too long since I've seen Nii-chan! Where were you?" she crossed her arms and pouted. Naruto chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"I was out solving a case, and then I was trying to organize the cupboard where Hinata and I keep our case files and evidence this past week. It's been really busy, but everything's all sorted now! If you'd like, you could come by sometime and have another look at the cases we've solved."

"I'd like that! I love it when you tell me the stories! It's like being read a detective novel!" Naruto laughed before reaching into his waist pouch.

"Hey Reiko-chan, I have something for you!"

"Another gift? But you've given me so much already! This shirt for my birthday," she stretched the hem of her shirt before digging around in her pockets, pulling out a key ring. A little orange fox keychain dangled from the keys held in her small hand. "And this cute fox keychain! And all I give you are homemade rice balls." she looked down, dejected. "And they aren't even that good."

"Nonsense! They're delicious!" Reiko looked up at his grinning face. He was smiling widely, his eyes closed as he held out a small laminated card. Reiko took the small piece of plastic and studied it intently. Naruto's name was printed on the card, a phone number underneath it along with a small chibi Naruto flashing a peace sign drawn in the corner.

Naruto reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small black device with a red button on the side. "This is a communicator I use to talk with Hinata-chan when we're apart. I had it modified so that if you call this number on the card from a phone, you can speak to me through this two way communicator. So if you ever need help, give me a call!"

Reiko wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. "Thanks Naruto-nii-chan! You're the best!"

"Reiko! It's time to go! You don't want to be late do you?" a man called from the still open door of Reiko's apartment.

"Coming Daddy!" she turned back to Naruto. "I'm going to spend the day at my friend's house! Bye Naruto-nii-chan!"

"See you Reiko-chan!" she tore off down the corridor, waving at Hinata as she ran down the stairs. A man with grey hair and tired eyes stepped out of the apartment, locking the door behind him. He nodded to Naruto as he walked by.

"Naruto-san. Thank you, for looking out for her." Naruto smiled back.

"My pleasure, Murakami-san." Murakami slowly made his way down the stairs, calling out to his daughter, begging her to slow down for an old man like him.

"Come on Hinata-chan, we've still got some paperwork to do!"

"Uh, right! I-I'm coming Naruto-kun!"

They ascended the final flight of stairs and reached the familiar wooden door that led to the Uzumaki's apartment. "Um, Naruto-kun? Who was that little girl?"

"Huh? Oh, that's Murakami Reiko, my neighbour."

"Why was she so happy to see you?"

Naruto motioned for her to step through the doorway and into his living room/kitchen. "Isn't everyone happy to see me Hinata-chan?"

She blushed profusely. "I-I, no... I mean... Yes, uh..." he chuckled as she rendered herself incoherent.

"You're so cute when you're flustered." Hinata quickly moved to the couch, in case she passed out again.

_'He said I'm cute!'_

Naruto sat down next to her before continuing. "I rescued her from some kids who were giving her trouble about a year ago and we've been friends ever since. Her dad was very grateful; he never really bothered to interact with me before that. Every once in a while, Reiko-chan drops by and we go through the case file cabinet; she picks a case and I tell her the story behind it. She always brings rice-balls, since it's the only thing she can make and she wants to repay me. I always make sure to eat them all and compliment her on her cooking skills; since that's the reason those kids were troubling her in the first place."

"You are too kind, Naruto-kun."

He scratched that back of his head sheepishly. "Nah, I'm just doing what every decent person should." he clapped his hands together, suddenly all businesslike and serious. "Right, let's get to work on organizing those case files!"

"Y-Yes, Naruto-kun!"

* * *

><p><strong>Uzumaki Naruto's Apartment, Night (Two Hours Earlier)<strong>

* * *

><p>Hinata left with the paperwork after a straight three hours of laborious signing and filing. She would drop them off at the Agency on her way home. Naruto stretched, popping the bones in his back before settling down to watch television.<p>

An hour later, he practically inhaled three cups of instant ramen, took a long hot shower, and leapt into bed, falling into a deep sleep the moment his head hit the soft pillow.

After what felt like seconds, a loud banging on his front door roused him from his slumber. He grudgingly slipped out of his warm bed, barely noticing the violent storm raging outside his window. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he slowly opened the door. "Hey, hey, what's the big idea?" he mumbled.

At his front door stood Murakami, absolutely soaked and dripping water on his door mat. "Naruto-san, Reiko is missing!" Naruto was fully awake now and opened his door fully, motioning for the older man to enter.

"Tell me what happened."


	6. Chapter Six: A Lost Friend

**Uzumaki ~ Detective Chronicles**

* * *

><p>Chapter Six: Case Two - A Lost Friend<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Outside Uzumaki Naruto's Apartment Building, Morning (Five Hours Missing)<strong>

* * *

><p>The storm from the previous night had ended, and with the bright light of dawn piercing through the remnants of the dark night, one could find Detective Uzumaki preparing to do what he does best - investigate.<p>

The first rays of sunlight streaked through the dark sky, the silent heralds of the rising sun. As Detective Uzumaki stepped out of his apartment building, the light from the sun just peeking over the horizon made the rain drenched streets glisten. Reiko's father had left Naruto's apartment at the detective's insistence that he get some sleep. There was nothing he could do for Reiko now but pray. "I will find her and bring her home Murakami-san. I promise on my life, and I never go back on my word!" Naruto had proclaimed, his blue eyes glinting with steely resolve and determination. The old man could only nod numbly, placing his faith and trust in the blonde detective.

Naruto's first instinct, as Reiko's surrogate nii-chan, was to search the crime scene immediately, a sentiment shared by the elder Murakami. However, his sensibilities as a detective overcame his primary emotions, granting him the clarity of mind that made him such a fantastic investigator. Naruto knew that if he went to the crime scene during the storm, he was sure to miss or compromise evidence that could potentially save Reiko-chan. The risk was too high, so he spent the time waiting for the storm to cease interviewing Reiko's father, trying to find out if there was anyone who he thought might have kidnapped his daughter, or might be involved in any way.

The blonde detective had been given a very small suspect list, but it was a start. But first he had to process the crime scene.

Glancing at the gleaming wet road and pavement, Naruto knew that finding footprints and tire tracks weren't an option; the storm from the previous night would have compromised the evidence. Likewise, any other indicators of a crime such as blood spatters (he hoped there were none) and trace evidence like mud from the kidnappers shoes would have long since washed away.

Deciding to reenact the crime, he stepped onto the road. Murakami-san said he had seen a car turn around the corner to his left. Assuming that was the kidnappers' vehicle, Naruto moved a few meters to his right, standing in the middle of the street. Nervously glancing around in case Hinata-chan turned up in that death trap she called a car, he began to walk up the street towards the front door of his apartment building.

During the interview, Naruto had been informed that Reiko's friend's house was down the street perpendicular to the entrance to the apartment building. In his mind's eye, he could see the storm of the night before, with the rain pouring down in sheets, lit up occasionally by flashes of lightning tearing through the dark clouds in the sky. He watched as Reiko darted up the street, only visible between the pools of light cast by the streetlights overhead.

The mental projection of Reiko made the final dash across the street, arriving safely under the small wooden awning above the door. '_Now, the door would have been locked, the landlord locks the door at ten thirty sharp every day. So Reiko would have reached for her keys, meanwhile, the mystery car would have pulled up behind her to make it easier to load her in.'_

Naruto stepped forward, standing roughly in the spot where the car would have been idling, waiting for...

_'Waiting for someone to knock her out,'_ he mused, spotting a plank of wood lying to the side of the doorway. He watched as the unknown assailant snuck up behind the unsuspecting girl and delivered a sharp blow to the back of her head. The keys she had been holding slipped from her hand and fell to the ground, a dazed Reiko following them soon after. Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out an evidence bag containing the keys and the still soggy orange fox keychain Murakami-san had found. He placed the bag gently on the cement, where he guessed they may have fallen.

Naruto stepped onto the pavement, a few feet away from the doorway and sat down on his haunches, observing the mental vision of the kidnapper as they picked up the prone girl and tossed her into the back of the car. The car sped off into the night, the back tires kicking up a spray of water as they spun wildly, trying to find purchase on the slippery Tarmac. The vehicle disappeared around the corner, just as Murakami-san poked his head out of the doorway, eyes widening in horror as he spotted the keys on the ground.

Naruto blinked a few times to bring his attention back to the present. The retreating form of Murakami's mental counterpart vanished halfway up the stairs, and as Naruto turned around, the intense deluge of rain faded away, like an artist erasing the storm from a giant canvass. So now he had a mental picture of what happened, next he had to find evidence to back it up. Pulling out a small digital camera, he set about taking photos of the scene, taking close up pictures of the discarded plank and the position of the keys and their proximity to the doorway. Ideally, it would have been best if Murakami had left the keys where they were, but as the man was a very loving and devoted father, Naruto couldn't blame him for panicking and acting irrationally.

The Uzumaki's keen ears picked up the all too familiar sound of an engine working at full power, accompanied by the squeal of brakes as they strained to slow down a certain silver hatchback traveling at maximum speed.

He edged away from the curb as Hinata skidded to a halt right in front of the doorway. Through the window, Naruto could see Hinata as she leant back in her chair, chest heaving as adrenaline coursed through her system. As she calmed down, she became aware of Naruto smiling and waving at her; she blushed and waved back shyly before quickly exiting her vehicle.

"Good morning Naruto-kun," she said softly, smiling at him as she reached into the back seat of her car for their crime scene kit.

"Morning Hinata-chan!" replied Naruto brightly, before assuming his professional detective demeanor. "Today, we have a case that is of the utmost importance, and failure is not an option." He stared straight into her pale lavender eyes; the seriousness in his own eyes a visual indicator to the estranged Hyuga heiress that this case was personal.

"I'll need you to promise me something. No matter how tough the case gets, or how distressing it may get, promise that you will keep me from getting too personally involved. Keep an eye on me and make sure I don't do anything too rash."

Hinata stood to attention and responded affirmatively, without a trace of her stutter. "Yes Naruto-kun! I promise. What happened?"

"Do you remember Murakami Reiko, who you met yesterday?"

"Yes, we met her in the hallway the previous evening didn't we?"

"Right. She's been kidnapped." Hinata's eyes widened in horror. She could see now why Naruto had made her promise to keep him in line. Naruto was very protective of his friends, especially those he considered to be his precious people. So far, he had lost Sasuke, who had been like a brother to him, Ayame, who had been a strange elder sister/ not-so-secret crush of sorts, and now Reiko, a person who was like his younger sister. Hinata knew that the bond between siblings was a powerful thing; up until their mother died and their father turned violent, Hinata and Hanabi had been very close. Hinata had always looked out for her sister to the best of her abilities, until Hyuga Hiashi started to take more interest in Hanabi's abilities, slowly grooming her to be the next heir while distancing her from Hinata.

Cases where young children were involved were always difficult, but this one was worse as it was too close to home. Going to crime scenes and interviewing strangers regularly made one think that those crimes would never happen to the people they care about. The reality of it was that anyone could be a victim of a crime.

_'And now one of Naruto-kun's precious people is in danger. We will definitely find Reiko, for Naruto-kun's sake.' _Hinata stepped forward and hugged him gently. He in turn wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his chin on top of her head. They stayed like that for a little while; as Naruto drew comfort from Hinata's embrace, she stood up on tiptoe and whispered in his ear. "I promise that we'll find her Naruto-kun, and I'll be right by your side until the end, now and forever."

_Now and forever._

Naruto simply smiled a sad smile; there was nothing he could say to express the depth of his gratitude. As he hugged Hinata closer to him, her final words echoed in his mind, resonating with a voice from his past. When Sayu had spoken those words fifteen years ago, it had been the most beautiful thing anyone could have said to the lonely blonde. Even now, despite all the good things in Naruto's life, those words, spoken by a true friend, still made him indescribably happy and grateful. He couldn't find the words to express it, the only thing he could do was to spend the rest of his life repaying Hinata for her friendship and loyalty with his own.

* * *

><p><strong>7th Precinct Headquarters, Morning<strong>

* * *

><p>Officer Haruno Sakura of the 7th Precinct was not happy. In fact, she had been in the worst of moods since the previous morning. She strode angrily through the courtyard, the front door of the precinct solely in her sights. The other officers standing around wisely kept their distance; they had all learned the hard way to leave her alone when Officer Haruno was like this. Many winced when Sakura glared at them as she walked by, feeling the phantom pain of her 100m punch as strongly as when they had first experienced it.<p>

The electronic doors barely slid open in time to allow the furious pinkette access to the interior of the building. Allowing her feet to guide her to her desk, her mind wandered back to the conversation she'd had the day before that put her in such a foul mood.

_"Hello?"_

_"Uh, hey Sakura-chan."_

_Sakura smiled and stretched languidly on her couch, setting her book down on the cushion next to her. "Hey Naruto! Are you calling about our catch up? I'm free no-"_

_"Sorry Sakura-chan but I won't be able to hang out with you today… For quite a while actually."_

_"O-Oh, I see. Is something wrong?"_

_"No, no, nothing's wrong! Ah, I've got other commitments to attend to today, so I'll have to postpone our catch up."_

_Sakura sighed disappointedly. She had been looking forward to spending the day with Naruto; because of their jobs, they didn't get to see each other as much as they would have liked. "That's OK Naruto, I understand. Do you know when you'll be finished with your work?"_

_There was a rather uncomfortable pause. "Um, sometime next month?"_

_"..." Sakura was speechless. Not only was he blowing her off, he had told her that he wouldn't see her for a month! Had she done something wrong? Was he avoiding her? She thought back over the previous two weeks. She was sure that the last time she'd seen him, they had been on their usual good terms. What prompted this sudden change in tune?_

_"Sakura-chan? Are you still there?"_

_"... Yeah I'm here."_

_He sounded sheepish now and she could picture him scratching the back of his head as he normally did when he was embarrassed. "Hey, I'm sorry. It's been getting quite busy lately, the paperwork has stacked up and something urgent came out of the blue... Listen, I'll make it up to you. Next month, we'll spend the whole day together and you can choose what we do."_

_She smiled exasperatedly. "Sure Naruto."_

_His voice was slowly becoming more ecstatic over the communicator. "And I'll treat you to dinner at the finest restaurant in the city, Ichira-"_

_"No ramen," she said with a smirk. She could see his disappointed look clearly in her mind; luckily he wasn't there to make those irresistible puppy dog eyes of his. "I want you to take me out to a proper dinner Uzumaki Naruto."_

_"Sakura-chan..." he whined in a mock childish fashion, reminding her of their days together as kids at the Police Academy. An unbidden smile formed on her lips as she remembered the many times he'd begged her to go out on a date with him. She ran her fingers through her hair, pushing the bubble gum pink locks out of her eyes. What had happened to those days?_

_Sakura's attention was brought back to the present as the familiar sound of Naruto's laughter emitted from the tiny speaker. "Sure thing Sakura-chan! I'm looking forward to it."_

_"Me too," the sound of a car horn blared in the background. "Is that Hinata?"_

_"Not exactly... Anyway I have to go. It was nice chatting with you Sakura-chan!"_

_"Y-Yeah. I guess I'll see you in a month?"_

_"Definitely! It's a promise!"_

_Sakura shook her head and chuckled. "Naruto, you make too many promises, you won't be able to keep them all."_

_"Of course I will! I never go back on my word!" the sound of a car horn blared again, more urgently. "I need to go. See you later Sakura-chan!" he hung up before she could reply._

_"Bye Naruto..." Sakura mumbled to the now silent communicator. She slowly lowered the device from her ear, placing it on top of her book before slumping back on the couch. She remained like that for a long period of time, until the phone rang sometime later, causing her to jump._

_"Hello?"_

_"Sakura-san, its Hinata."_

_"Hey Hinata, what's wrong?"_

_"I just got a text message from Naruto-kun. He's spending the day with Takami Sayu!"_

_"What!"_

Sakura slumped down at her desk, laying her head down on the new case file waiting to be read. Her blue officers' hat slid off her head and onto the surface of the table, right next to a hitherto unnoticed mug of freshly made vanilla latte.

What was that vile snake... That Takami woman doing with Naruto? Surely he wouldn't have allowed himself to be manipulated would he? He was the best detective around; there was no question about it but... Since they were childhood friends, maybe he was giving her the benefit of the doubt. And Naruto always sticks by his friends, no matter what...

Her face twisted into an expression of pure anger as she remembered that _she,_ one of Naruto's closest friends, had been blown off for _Takami Sayu,_ the head of the criminal underworld. Something was going on here, and she'd be damned if she didn't look into it further. For Hinata's sake as well as her own, of course.

"Shannaro!" she said, raising her fist. From her face down position on the surface of the table, her muffled yell was loud enough to attract the attention of all the officers in the room. They glanced around confusedly at each other. She normally said her catch phrase after making a grandiose speech about no criminal getting away while she was on the case. Did they miss something?

The other occupants of the room jumped as Sakura's raised fist slammed down onto the desktop, right in the space that her steaming mug of latte had occupied moments before. A small crater had been pounded into the desk, small cracks spider-webbing their way out from the point of impact.

"Oi Sakura, this desk is your fifth one, and I don't think Yasuki Fumito will replace it if you break it." a lazy voice drawled. Sakura's head slowly rose up from the desktop, her jade green eyes glaring holes in Officer Nara Shikamaru, who took no notice. Instead, he calmly placed the mug he had rescued in the nick of time neatly into the crater she had made and tugged the new case file out from under her arms.

"It's a drag but we've got a new case. Apparently, there was an explosion earlier this morning at a storage warehouse in the Historical District. Authorities at the scene suspect foul play."

Sakura closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. When her eyes opened, they shone with her usual vigor and determination. She had to shelve the Naruto issue for now, there were crimes to solve. She stood up straight, attaching her communicator to her belt and replacing her officers' hat on her head.

"Let's go, Shikamaru."

* * *

><p><strong>Hikaru Storage Facility, Morning<strong>

* * *

><p>"Good morning, Kyobayashi Hitomi reporting live from the Hikaru Storage Facility, outside a still burning Storage Warehouse Four."<p>

The smartly dressed woman shifted slightly, silently prompting the camera-man to film a close up of the burning warehouse behind her. Somewhere in the distance, police sirens could be heard, accompanied by the slower siren of the fire services. Flipping her perfectly styled hair over one shoulder, she continued.

"Locals in the area have stated that an explosion was heard from within the warehouse nearly half an hour ago. Prior to the explosion, several individuals had been spotted inside the building, evident from the lights spotted in various windows." she leaned forward towards the camera, almost conspiratorially. "It is unknown if the group of people started the fire but it is strongly suspected. Firefighters and backup police officers have only just arrived on scene."

Officer Haruno's squad car glided to a smooth stop in front of a pile of wreckage. As the two officers of the law stepped out of the vehicle, they were almost run over by a speeding fire truck, its sirens blaring loudly as it screamed by. The bright red vehicle continued through the burning piles of wreckage to the source - a massive, still flaming, burnt out shell of a building. Flames licked the brick walls of the blackened structure, and as they watched, the corrugated iron roof collapsed, falling into the flaming depths of the once proudly standing warehouse. Glowing embers from the burning building flew in all directions, scattering on to the nearby warehouses, the squad cars of the police officers on scene and the firemen as they worked to put out the inferno.

As Officer Haruno began to make her way towards the police officers on scene, a very familiar woman in a two piece beige suit blocked her way. She sighed _'Here we go...'_

"Hello Officer Haruno, do you have any information concerning the warehouse bombing? Any insights you'd like to share with our audience?" she smiled brightly, holding her microphone up to Sakura's mouth.

"No comment." replied Sakura dismissively, trying to dodge around the reporter. Kyobayashi wasn't deterred, subtly shifting to block Sakura's escape.

"Will Detective Uzumaki be collaborating with your team on this investigation as well?" Sakura froze, the Naruto issue she'd had earlier that morning resurfacing in her mind. Kyobayashi grinned, she could sense she'd hit a weak spot. "He was the one who caught the Senbon Murderer, despite the official Police Press Release stating that the case was solved by the 7th Precinct. Isn't that right Officer Haruno?"

Sakura closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, calmingly. Her eyes opened, and she responded in the diplomatic, evasive way taught in the Academy specifically for nosy reporters. "You read the Police Report, so you know how that case was solved. As for Detective Uzumaki's future involvement, that all depends on him."

"But-"

"_Detective_ Uzumaki is a _Private_ Detective. Emphasis on 'Private'. I cannot confirm or deny his involvement with any case due to his own terms and conditions. If you want to find out, you would be better off asking him instead of badgering me. As far as the general public is concerned, he did not have any involvement with the Senbon Murderer case."

"It has been proven multiple times by myself and other reporters that Detective Uzumaki and his partner Hyuga Hinata were involved with several high profile police cases, and in each instance, all were solved when the police investigators had hit a dead end. So are you saying that he had no-"

"I have a crime scene to investigate, Kyobayashi-san. Good day." with that abrupt reply, the now thoroughly irritated officer swept passed the reporter and her film crew, making her way over to a very amused Shikamaru. As he opened his mouth to make a no doubt smart ass comment, Sakura raised her fist, a vein twitching on her temple.

"Say one word and your next stop will be the 7th Precinct Mortuary." Shikamaru closed his mouth and nodded, smirking as he did so.

* * *

><p><strong>Unknown Location, Late Morning<strong>

* * *

><p>In a dark room with cement walls, a cold concrete floor and a single barred window near the roof, an unconscious little girl was propped up against a wall, covered by a rough blanket. She was dressed in a simple black t-shirt with a red swirl on the front and brown shorts. She had sneakers on her feet but they had no laces. The left side of her face was swollen, a large graze over her left cheekbone crusted over with dried blood. More blood could be found on the back of her head, a rusty brown trail that wound its way down her neck and into the collar of her t-shirt.<p>

She stirred, wincing as she rejoined the world of the conscious. Her neck cracked painfully as she straightened up from the uncomfortable position she had been in. Her head was pounding as she pulled the blanket up to her chin, trying to retain as much body heat as she could. The room was freezing, and the blanket was barely long enough to cover her small frame.

The little girl's mouth was dry, and as the throbbing in her head became more intense, she cast her eyes around the room, searching from something, anything to distract herself. The room she was in was a cement cube with only two perforations in its rough grey surface: a small barred window and a heavy metal door.

Her teeth began to chatter, but it wasn't due to the cold. She pulled the blanket around her body as tightly as she could manage, her face scrunching up as tears filled her eyes. She yelped when a bolt of pain shot up the left side of her face. Her tears were flowing freely now, stinging her various cuts and abrasions as they slid down her jaw and dripped from her chin.

Not even knowing what time or day it was, let alone where she was, Murakami Reiko slowly slid sideways until she was lying on the floor on her side, curled up in a ball. Despair weighed heavily on her heart as she realized she was truly alone. She had been snatched away from her Daddy and Naruto-nii-chan and she was terrified. She lay there on the floor, sobbing quietly until she fell into the dark, numbing embrace of sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Kureiji Drive, Late Morning (Six Hours Missing)<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Naruto-kun...<em>

A faint voice was calling to the blonde detective. He was in dark place, seemingly trapped. But he was not afraid. That voice was familiar. He knew it from somewhere; he just couldn't quite place where he'd heard it.

_'Naruto-kun...'_

The voice was slowly becoming louder. As Naruto waited in that dark place, he felt some sort of movement. Somehow, the strange, dark world in which he was the only inhabitant began to move... No wait, it was he who was moving. He was being gently rocked back and forth by some unknown force. As the constant motion began to intensify, so did the volume of the disembodied voice.

"Naruto-kun! Please wake up!" Naruto's eyes slowly opened, and he winced as a combination of bright light and a sharp throb on the side of his head nearly sent him back to the dark world.

His vision was doubled and blurred; it took several blinks refocus his vision on the street he could see through the windshield. Windshield? Had he been in a car accident? A soft hand gently clasped his cheek, turning his face towards a mortified Hinata. She had tears in her eyes as she began to apologize profusely.

"I'm so sorry Naruto-kun, please forgive me!" he sat up slowly in his seat and looked around. The car seemed intact... The car. Dear Kami, he was in Hinata's car. As he rubbed the sore side of his head, the throbbing lessened, and he turned to Hinata with a dazed smile.

"Why are you sorry? Did I fall asleep?" he didn't think it was possible when he was too busy fearing for his and other people's lives. Maybe he was getting used to Hinata's driving. Though that didn't explain why his head was hurting.

Hinata was blushing while scratching the back of her head in a sheepish, Naruto-esque fashion. "While we were driving, I took a sharp turn at the last corner and you hit your head on the window. I didn't notice until we stopped but you were knocked out cold for nearly fifteen minutes. I'm so sorry, I-"

She was silenced when Naruto placed a finger on her lips. He gave a wide grin and patted the top of her head. "It's okay, I feel fine! Just answer one question for me."

"Y-Yes?"

"Who am I? And come to think of it, who are you?" Hinata's eyes widened in shock and she covered her face with her hands as she began to cry.

"Oh Kami what have I done?" she sobbed. "How could-" she was cut off when Naruto gave her one of his surprise hugs. She glanced up at his cheeky grin and, as realization slowly came over her, managed to put on a weak accusatory face. "Y-You were kidding? You didn't forget me?"

He chuckled. "How could I forget a cute girl like you? Of course I was just messing with you! Anyway, we've got a suspect to interview, let's go!" with that, he opened the door and ducked out of the car, swaying slightly as a wave of lightheadedness overcame him. _'Must have hit that window a lot harder than I thought... Better not make a big deal out of it though or Hinata-chan will worry.'_

Hinata kept a close eye on him as she locked her car and hurried over to him. He still looked a bit dazed, and as he began to cross the street, she gently grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He shot her a puzzled look. "What?"

"The house is on this side of the street Naruto-kun."

* * *

><p><strong>Hattori Kohana's Home, Late Morning (Six Hours Missing)<strong>

* * *

><p>"Can I help you?" The detective duo were standing outside the home of Murakami-san's ex-wife Hattori (her maiden name) Kohana. After much convincing, Naruto finally persuaded Hinata to not rush him off to the hospital. As they stood on the door step, Hinata was interrupted in her final attempt to convince him to see a doctor by the opening of the front door.<p>

A woman with a face eerily similar to Reiko's addressed them, prompting the pair to quickly assume their 'professional' detective demeanors. Naruto spoke up first. "Are you Hattori Kohana?"

"Yes."

"Were you previously married to Murakami-?"

"Yes," she replied abruptly, her eyes narrowing. "What is this about? Who are you people?"

"I am Detective Uzumaki, and this is my assistant Hyuga Hinata. I'm afraid we have to inform you that your daughter, Murakami Reiko, is missing, presumed kidnapped."

"..." she glanced suspiciously between the two of them for a moment before replying. "Are you serious?"

Naruto studied her face intently. "...Yes, she was reported missing six hours ago." she suddenly collapsed, landing seated upright on the doormat. She covered her eyes with her hand and tears began to seep out from between her fingers.

Naruto was quick to help her back onto her feet. "Ma'am, I realize this is a difficult time, but is it all right if we ask you some questions?"

"S-Sure. T-The living room is t-through there." she motioned towards an opening halfway down the corridor. While Naruto supported Hattori as they made their way to the living room, he made note of the number of rooms in the house. It was a small place, so he worked on the assumption that there were single rooms behind the doors in the corridor.

There were four normal sized doors and one thin wooden door. Assuming the smaller door was a storage closet, he began to work through possible options. One room would be her bedroom and another could be a guest room. One of the doors was slightly ajar, and he could see a small patch of white tiles through the small crack, meaning there was one bathroom. That left one room unaccounted for. The final door was at the very end of the hallway, facing the front door. He mentally stored the information to add to his notebook later.

They stepped into her living room, which was about the same length as the corridor they had just left. It was small but cozy, with an arm chair and a couch arranged around a television set against the wall. The back wall was made of floor to ceiling glass, with two sliding doors held open to allow the cool morning breeze into the house. As Naruto led Hattori along to the chairs, he glanced briefly into the small garden which was mostly filled with flower beds holding beautiful blossoms of varying hues. Hinata, who had been hovering behind her partner and their suspect, helped the tearful woman into an arm chair. As Hattori reached for a box of tissues, Naruto began to speak, mindful of her current state of mind.

"Do you mind if we take a seat?" when she nodded, Naruto sat down on the couch next to her chair and pulled out his orange notebook.

"I'll go make some tea." said Hinata, motioning to the adjoining kitchen. Naruto nodded once before turning his attention back on Hattori Kohana.

"Now, Hattori-san, I'm going to ask you some questions about your daughter. Is that alright?"

She sniffled and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue before nodding. "So, when was the last time you saw your daughter?" she glanced up at him with watery eyes, and when he smiled encouragingly at her, nodded once and glanced down and to her right.

_'Hmm, down and to the right. That indicates that she is having an internal dialog. What is she mentally discussing?'_

"I last saw her, uh, roughly two weeks ago." her eyes had moved to the left before sliding over to the right as she spoke.

'_Interesting, what could that mean?' _thought Naruto as he studied her face closely. Hattori gave him an odd feeling; a gut instinct told him that something wasn't right.

"I see. Did she seem worried, or did she confide in you about any problems she may have had at school?"

"No she seemed fine. Reiko-chan wouldn't confide in me anyway." tears began to well up in her eyes once more.

"Is that so? If you don't mind me asking, why wouldn't she come to you? Most daughters identify with their mothers a lot better than with their fathers."

"My ex-husband and I have been locked in a custody battle since our divorce. Since he had a steady job and a decent income, it was decided that Reiko-chan would stay with him until the Family Court settled the matter."

"Why did you and Murakami-san get divorced?"

"I don't see how that is relevant to the kidnap of my daughter."

"I'm sorry but we need information like this as it may be a clue towards the kidnappers motive." she glanced at him with suspicion but answered regardless.

"... We got divorced because he was an alcoholic. After our marriage he showed his true colours: a sake-soaked drunk who you would never see without a bottle in hand. He spent all his earnings on that accursed drink and wouldn't let me get a job to pay the bills because it 'went against his manly pride'. What a joke." she ended viciously, in a spiteful tone that contrasted sharply with her previous sad demeanor.

Hinata chose that moment to walk in with a tray bearing a steaming teapot and three glasses. She sat down next to Naruto, setting the tray down on the small table in front of them. Naruto took it upon himself to serve the tea and soon the small living room was silent except for the sounds of sipping and the scratching of Naruto's pen on his notebook. Hinata noticed that his fingers lingered on Hattori's when he handed her the cup.

"What do you do for a living Hattori-san?" Hinata asked as she gently set her cup down on a coaster.

"I... I am a secretary. I work in an office in the Business District."

"One last question. Where were you between the hours of three and four o'clock this morning?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Why do you ask? Do you suspect me in the kidnapping of my own daughter?"

Naruto held up his hands in a placating manner, an easy smile on his lips. "Relax Ma'am, it's just a routine question so that we know where to place you on our timeline. It helps to give us a better idea of how the crime took place."

She nodded, seemingly satisfied. "I was at home. Asleep. And before you ask, no, there is no one who can vouch for me." As Naruto scribbled in his notebook, Hinata had to admire his people skills. He knew how deal with people without giving them a straight answer; he hadn't actually answered her question, just settled her concerns. It seems he suspected Reiko-chan's mother to a degree.

_'This is what separates us as detectives. The gap in skill between us is too great.'_ she sighed, masking her dejection with a smile as Naruto glanced at her. He indicated wordlessly that it was time to go. She nodded in response and stood up, taking the tea tray with her as she returned to the kitchen. The sound of water hitting the sink burbled in the background as Naruto thanked Hattori for her time and promised that he would find her daughter.

As Hinata returned to the living room, they bowed respectfully to their host, who stood up a moment too late to bow in return. "We'll see ourselves out Hattori-san. Thank you for your time."

Hattori Kohana nodded silently before resuming her seat on the arm chair. As they left, she picked up a framed photo of Reiko from the small table and stared at it as tears once again began to trace their way down her cheeks. Naruto quickly stole a glance at the photo as he entered the corridor; it was a picture of a five year old Reiko on a swing set. He narrowed his eyes and began to observe the other photos hanging on the corridor walls.

"Hinata," he whispered, calling the pale lavender eyed girl back to him. "Do you notice anything about these photos?"

She too glanced around, looking for the pattern he had found. "Um, none of them contain Murakami-san?"

"Yes, that's true but also to be expected. Look closer, I know you'll find it."

She once again set her eyes upon the photos, determined to find the link between them. She glanced at several where Reiko and her mother were together and several where Reiko was alone. What was it? What did Naruto see? What was...?

"Reiko is very young in all of these photos." she replied. Naruto grinned widely.

"Yep, all of these photos were taken up until she was around five. She recently celebrated her tenth birthday. Why wouldn't her mother, who claims to have seen her two weeks ago, not have any recent photos of her daughter?"

"She's hiding something isn't she?"

"That what I thought too. Now all we have to do is uncover it."

* * *

><p><strong>Murakami Reiko's Apartment, Afternoon (Eight Hours Missing)<strong>

* * *

><p>Murakami sat slumped in his favorite arm chair. This was the chair in which he and Reiko would spend countless hours reading books or watching television together. It was just big enough for the two of them to sit side by side. It was a bit of squeeze but neither of them minded. Now though, it felt too big and empty without Reiko by his side.<p>

Reiko was his whole life. She was the sole reason he carried on living when his wife left him. He had loved his wife very much, but it wasn't a shared sentiment. When his wife had left, only Reiko, the only light in his life, had kept him from falling into darkness.

Murakami had been sitting in that chair since Naruto had politely suggested that he go home and rest before he left to examine the crime scene. He had been very kind and understanding, and Murakami could understand why Reiko saw him as an elder brother. Naruto had this quality about him, some kind of aura that made you trust him, to place your bets on him because you knew he would succeed. He was kind and patient, and sat with Murakami during the long hours of the storm, assuaging his doubts and fears.

The old man stood up slowly, reluctant to leave the special place he and his daughter shared. But he hadn't eaten anything all day, and he doubted he would be much help to the investigation if he starved himself to death.

He shuffled over to the fridge, each step a reluctant effort. As the door swung open and the cool air washed over him, his eyes settled on a bottle of premium sake, nestled against the door. His right hand twitched; it had been many years since he'd tasted the stuff. When Reiko was born, Murakami, upon holding his daughter for the first time, felt this undeniable urge to protect his helpless baby girl with his life. He began to take steps to ensure he would always be there for her.

He swore to never again touch alcohol as long as he lived; as a former addict, he knew one sip was dangerous. He went to various meetings and therapists, used self-help books and found himself a stable job. And from then on, life was good, up until the point when his wife left him. But during those dark times he had Reiko, and he remembered the promise he had made to always keep her safe and that drive kept him going.

But now his motivation was gone, and as much as he didn't want to think about it, there was a chance that she would never come back. Naruto had said it takes up to twenty-four hours for kidnappers to send a ransom note, but for some reason, Murakami didn't think this was an ordinary kidnapping. He was an average citizen, with an average job that provided an average pay. In short, he wasn't the first choice a smart kidnapper would make when deciding on who to demand money from.

Naruto seemed to have realized this as well, but he was determined to keep Murakami's hopes up. _"I will find her and bring her home Murakami-san. I promise on my life, and I never go back on my word!" _Murakami had faith in Naruto; he knew there was weight behind his boldly spoken words. But still...

He reached down and wrapped his fingers around the neck of the sake bottle. It fit in his hand as comfortably as if it was personally made for him. He had found the bottle on his door step a few mornings ago. While he had been strongly persuaded by his better judgement to throw it away immediately, he remembered that this had been his favorite brand and reluctantly conceded that it would be a waste of good sake to just throw it away.

He made up his mind to give it away, but he didn't know many people and didn't trust himself enough to carry it work and present it as a gift to one of his colleagues. He had offered it to Naruto, who had blatantly refused, and then explained how he had learned through the example of someone named 'Ero-sensei' that no good could come from that drink. _'Smart kid.'_ he thought, a grim smile on his lips.

He held the bottle up the light, watching the bubbles gently float upwards through the translucent liquid, tinted gold by the smooth glass. It had been ten years since he'd last tasted sake. Slowly, as if unsure of himself, he made his way over to the sink, where two clean glasses, one tall and one short, sat waiting in the draining board, twinkling invitingly in the afternoon sun.


End file.
